As it stands now per Gilbert Manzano of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the long-time voice of the Oakland Raiders, Greg Papa, is on his way out. Papa has served as the play-by-play radio voice of the Raiders since the 1993 season.
Taking over for Papa will be Brent Musburger as he signed a three-year contract which will start this season.
The switch from Papa to Musburger bares similarity to the team’s future relocation to the desert as Musburger is heavily involved with the sports scene in Las Vegas. After 27-years with ABC Sports and ESPN, Musburger retired and now his Vegas ties include a weekly column with the Review-Journal, he helped launch and now operates VSiN (Vegas Stats and Information Network), has called the Las Vegas Bowl seven times and is in the Las Vegas Bowl Hall of Fame.
The Raiders boast a rich history of radio play-by-play voices as Bill King served in that role from 1966-1992 until the aforementioned Greg Papa took over. As all good things come to an end, Papa’s run is over and Musburger’s is just beginning.
Here’s what some of our very own from the Ramble have to say:
“There was nothing like hearing the booming call of Greg Papa calling out ‘TOUCHDOWN RAAAIIIDERS!’ There were many great moments with Papa, but two stand out in my mind and that’s his call when the Raiders beat the Saints in 2016 with Crabtree’s two-point conversion and last season’s epic finish against the Chiefs. It will be strange not hearing his voice on Sunday’s but I trust Brent Musburger will do a great job.”
“When I was young and listening to games on the radio with my family, I always knew for sure that we were listening to the Raiders because of Greg Papa. Papa’s signature, “Touchdowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, Raiders!”, is as identifiable as “GOOOAAALLLLLLLLLL!” is for soccer fans around the world. It’s the end of an epoch in this team’s history.”
“Greg Papa’s voice has been truly iconic for the Raider Nation fan base. Papa has long been deeply rooted in the Raiders organization and his emphatic “TOUCHDOWN RRRRRRRAAAAAAAIDERRRSSSS!!!” calls will echo in Raiders history. With that said, the Raiders Las Vegas relocation implications will continue to cause the organization to detach itself from some of the nostalgic Bay Area personalities for better or worse.”
“For many, Papa was the familiar and comforting voice when it came to Raiders broadcasts. But being in the media all the years I was, I understand it’s a business and while his voice will be missed, he seemingly wasn’t on board with the impending move.”
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