When Arizona State kicks off its 2022 football season on September 1 against Northern Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium, Tim Healey will begin his 25th season in the ASU radio booth.
In honor of Tim's quarter-century mark as The Voice of ASU, he's come up with 25 of the best Sun Devil Baseball, Football and Men’s Basketball memories and moments he's delivered to fans on the radio since September of 1998. Since it’s nearly impossible to say which particular highlights are Tim's “best” or “second-best," his top-25 list will be presented simply in chronological order, beginning with his 1995 debut and ending with the most recent games.
Tim's words:
My list is restricted to games I actually broadcast on the radio – and actually attended. Hence, the Sun Devils’ epic 70-7 beatdown of Arizona in the 2020 Territorial Cup football game did not make my Top-25 list, simply because I wasn’t able to be in Tucson to witness that game in person.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions that were in place at the time, Pac-12 radio crews did not travel to their school’s road games in 2020. Instead, we broadcast ASU’s away games (including the UA contest) from a conference room in ASU Athletics’ on-campus headquarters building, the Carson Center. As compelling as the Devils’ win was, the game simply didn’t have the same ‘feel’ to it, because we weren’t there in person.”
Here, now, are Tim’s “25 For 25”:
25) September 5, 1998
Sun Devil Football suffers crushing loss to UW in '98
- The Sun Devils season opener and my debut as radio voice
- Watch the full game on YouTube
Our journey through the past 25 years starts at the very beginning, if you will. The night of Saturday, September 5, 1998, just six days shy of my 47th birthday, figured to be one of the most important – and memorable - nights of my life. I was about to make my debut as Arizona State football’s radio voice, succeeding the legendary Tom Dillon, who was the Voice of the Sun Devils for the preceding two-and-a-half decades.
As it turns out, my first Sun Devil Football radio broadcast was indeed memorable – only in a way that stings, even to this day.
An ASU team that had gone 20-4 the previous two seasons, and was ranked #8 in the AP preseason poll, opened the ’98 campaign with a Pac-10 game at home against a good Washington team.
With less than :30 remaining, the Sun Devils were on the cusp of a thrilling victory. Leading 38-35, the ASU defense forced UW into a 4th-and-17 situation from the Husky 37-yard-line.
What happened on that fourth down play still gives ASU fans nightmares: UW quarterback Brock Huard hit his tight end Reggie Davis in stride down the far sideline, and Davis proceeded to go 63 yards for the winning touchdown, in Washington’s electrifying 42-38 victory.
Seldom have I seen a team’s entire season so dramatically impacted by one play. Staggered by that crushing opening game loss, the Sun Devils struggled to a 5-6 finish in 1998, well below the standard set the previous two seasons.
While my first memory in the radio booth was a painful one, to be sure, I hope you’ve discovered that there’ve been a lot of terrific memories and moments in the 25 years that have followed.
Hope you enjoy them!
24) January 8, 2000
Eddie House ties Pac-10 single-game scoring record with 61 points in ASU Men's Basketball 2OT Win
I’ve got lots of time for house-cleaning these days! Among the items I unearthed in my home office today: my broadcast scoresheet of Eddie House’s 61-point game at Cal in January 2000. Handwritten, no less! One of my top 5 thrills as ASU’s radio voice! @SunDevilPBP pic.twitter.com/8lRqoHWgSK
— Tim Healey (@TimHealeyASU) March 28, 2020
It happened more than 22 years ago, yet still stands the test of time as one of the greatest performances by a Sun Devil student-athlete that I’ve ever seen.
On January 8, 2000, ASU guard Eddie House tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Pac-12 single-game scoring record by pouring in 61 points, in the Sun Devils’ 111—108 double-overtime win over California at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley – which is just a half-hour’s drive from House’s home town of Union City, CA.
I’ve got lots of time for house-cleaning these days! Among the items I unearthed in my home office today: my broadcast scoresheet of Eddie House’s 61-point game at Cal in January 2000. Handwritten, no less! One of my top 5 thrills as ASU’s radio voice!
Among the most compelling aspects of Eddie’s evening in Berkeley:
- As the final score indicated, the Sun Devils needed every one of House’s points to assure themselves of a victory in what was a close, back-and-forth contest.
- Whereas Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a lot of dunks and layups at the rim in his 61-point game against Washington State in February 1967, House’s 61-point barrage consisted primarily of lower-percentage perimeter jump shots and three-point goals. Eddie was 18-of-30 from the floor, with only one of his field goals being a layup.
- In addition, House hit 7-of-10 three-point tries, including an off-balance game-tying three late in the first OT period. He was 18-of-19 at the free throw line as well.
- Ask my current broadcast partner Kyle Dodd about that game (KD was a freshman guard for the Sun Devils that season and played 24 minutes in that Cal game), and he’ll tell you that was the night that he and Eddie House teamed up to score 64 points to lead Arizona State to victory. KD is absolutely right about that!
- Finally, a completely “off-the-wall” tidbit from yours truly: some of you may know that I grew up in the Washington, D.C., area as a fan of the NFL’s Washington Redskins/Washington Football Team/Commanders. On the same day as Eddie House’s epic 61-point performance at Cal - January 8, 2000 - the Redskins (as they were known at the time) defeated the Detroit Lions 27-13 in a first-round playoff game in Landover, MD. The Washington franchise has not won a home playoff game since.
23) May 21, 2000
Mitch Jones sets ASU single-season home run record as Sun Devils beat UA to clinch share of Pac 10 title on last day of season
My first regular season as Arizona State’s radio baseball broadcaster could not have had a more compelling finish, than the game Bob Eger and I had the thrill of broadcasting on Sunday, May 21, 2000 at Sancet Field in Tucson.
Coach Pat Murphy’s Sun Devils clinched a share of the Pac-10 championship that afternoon, destroying archrival Arizona by the football-like score of 24-10 in the 2000 regular season finale for both teams. ASU ended up in a first-place tie with UCLA and Stanford that year.
The hero of the Devils’ victory was slugging outfielder Mitch Jones, whose sixth-inning three-run HR was his 26th of the year, eclipsing Bob Horner’s ASU single-season HR record that had stood for 22 years. Jones also had a single, double and triple that day, becoming the first Sun Devil in three years to hit for the cycle.
A lot of milestones that day, yes?
22) October 19, 2002
ASU Football stuns #6 Oregon as Andrew Walter sets school single-game record for passing yards
We were excited to introduce one of the all-time greats, Andrew Walter, into @TheSunDevils Hall of Fame today! #SunDevils4Life pic.twitter.com/14ENiSb1vE
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 13, 2017
In the fall of 2002, Dirk Koetter’s second ASU football team got off to a 5-2 start, winning its first three Pac-12 games before heading to Eugene, OR., for a mid-October match-up with the unbeaten and 6th-ranked Oregon Ducks. That lovely autumn afternoon would be the setting for a stunning Sun Devil victory, and a record-setting performance by ASU’s quarterback.
In rallying his team from an early 21-0 deficit at noisy Autzen Stadium, Andrew Walter threw for what still stands as an Arizona State single-game record 536 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those scoring throws came during a five-minute span late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. Walter’s favorite target that day was wideout Shaun McDonald, who caught 12 passes for 204 yards and one TD. A 29-yard Mike Barth field goal with just under two minutes to play put the Sun Devils ahead to stay, and safety Brett Hudson clinched the win with a late interception.
The 45-42 ASU victory was one of seven wins in an eight-game span for Arizona State that season, and had to be extra special for Dirk Koetter, who had been an assistant coach at Oregon just a few years before.
Speaking of which: One of my memories of the weekend came the day before, at ASU’s Friday walk-thru at Autzen Stadium. As the Sun Devils came off the field, the Eugene media gathered to interview Arizona State’s special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Tom Osborne, a long-time former (and highly-regarded) Oregon assistant coach whom Koetter was able to bring to his staff at ASU. A lot of the reporters’ questions for coach Osborne had the tone of “why would you leave a great program like Oregon to go to Arizona State”?
I’m guessing ASU’s win the next day was pretty satisfying for ‘Coach Oz” as well!
21) March 20, 2023
Curtis Millage's near triple-double in ASU's NCAA Tournament
Curtis Millage in the house! 2003 Memphis still shook by his near triple-double at NCAAs. pic.twitter.com/hHV67CYsYA
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 2, 2018
In my fifth season as the radio voice of ASU Men’s Basketball, I had the opportunity to broadcast the Sun Devils in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in my career in March 2003. Coach Rob Evans’ team earned a #10 seed in the West Region that year, and headed to Oklahoma City to begin post-season play against the 7th-seeded Memphis Tigers, coached by John Calipari.
Trailing by one at the half, the Sun Devils played a terrific second half of hoops to win the game 84-71. However, the headline story of that Thursday night contest ended up being the performance of ASU senior guard Curtis Millage, who came within one assist of posting the first triple-double in Arizona State men’s basketball history. Curtis’ numbers that night: 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. With one more dime, Millage would have also posted what at the time would’ve been only the fifth triple double in NCAA Tournament history – and first since Utah guard Andre Miller’s 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists against Arizona in the 1998 West Regional final.
One footnote: My future broadcast partner Kyle Dodd played his penultimate game as a Sun Devil in the NCAA Tournament win over Memphis, and posted one of the best “triple-singles” of his career: Six points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds (with no turnovers) in 28 minutes.
20) June 2005
ASU Baseball's run to the College World Series and 3rd place finish
Virtually all of the highlights I’ve shared with you so far – and will continue to share with you here – have been from individual games. This next reflection spans 11 ASU Baseball games in May and June of 2005, a sensational post-season run that, to this day, rates as one of my top five Sun Devil sports memories of all time.
Though they struggled through a somewhat disappointing regular season, coach Pat Murphy’s 2005 Sun Devils nonetheless earned a nod as one of 16 regional hosts in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Playing as a #2 seed in their own Tempe Regional, the Devils swept three games, twice beating regional top seed Coastal Carolina, to advance to a best two-of-three Super Regional against ASU’s long-time post-season nemesis Cal State Fullerton.
Game one of the Super Regional had the most bizarre ending I’ve ever seen in a baseball game. Trailing ASU 2-1 entering the last of the ninth, CSUF rallied for two runs to win the game, with the deciding run scoring when Sun Devil relief pitcher Zechry Zinicola was called for a balk while issuing an intentional walk, allowing a runner at third to come home with the game-winner.
I have never – ever – seen an umpire call a balk during the issuing of an intentional walk. Actor (and devoted Cal State Fullerton alum and baseball fan) Kevin Costner attended that game, and as he left Goodwin Field that evening, he looked over toward me and my broadcast partner, the late, great Bob Eger, and as we were doing our post-game wrap-up, Costner smiled while shrugging his shoulders as if to say “I don’t believe it either!”
Fortunately, the Sun Devils bounced back to win the final two games of the Super Regional, including a 9-8 come-from-behind victory in the game three clincher that rates as one of the best games I’ve ever seen.
From there, it was on to Omaha, NE., and ASU’s first trip to the College World Series in seven years. A loss to Nebraska, followed by a Father’s Day elimination-game win over Tennessee (in which my future broadcast partner Seth Dhaenens drove in the winning run with a 7th-inning double, just as his dad arrived at Rosenblatt Stadium on Father’s Day), set the stage for a College World Series game for the ages on June 21, 2005.
Playing home-town and home-state favorite Nebraska in another elimination game, ASU went back-and-forth with the Huskers, who took a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning on a dramatic three-run HR by outfielder Andy Gerch, whose father was battling cancer and sadly passed away a few years later.
Down to their final three outs of the season, the Sun Devils plated a run to pull to within 7-6. Then, with two outs and the bases empty, and his team’s season on the line, slugger Jeff Larish made ASU and College World Series history, when he belted his third HR of the game, a blast over the fence in dead center field, to tie the game at 7. Larish had earlier in the game homered once to left field and once to right field, becoming only the second player ever to hit 3 HR in one CWS game.
The contest went to extra innings, and in the last of the 11th, Arizona State won it on a bloop RBI single by centerfielder J.J. Sferra, whose father Jay was one of Pat Murphy’s assistant coaches. For the second straight game, the Sun Devils survived elimination and lived to play another day in Omaha.
They sidestepped elimination one more time the next day, when junior southpaw Erik Averill tossed a masterful complete-game 5-hitter on a humid 92-degree Omaha afternoon, beating Florida 6-1. Three consecutive wins on college baseball’s biggest stage, with their season hanging in the balance – simply incredible!
Unfortunately, that season ended the following day, when the Sun Devils fell to Florida 6-3, enabling the Gators to advance to the CWS championship round against eventual national champion Texas, while ASU headed home with a third-place CWS finish – and a lifetime of memories from their memorable post-season run.
One footnote: The day after the Florida defeat, Bob Eger and I flew home to Phoenix on Frontier Airlines, connecting thru Denver. On the flight from Denver to Phoenix, I purchased the option to view DirecTV (at least I think it was DirecTV) from my seat. One of the channel selections available for viewing was ESPN Classic. I tuned in – just as that network started airing a re-broadcast of the ESPN telecast of the ASU-Nebraska elimination game played three days earlier! Indeed: It was a game so dramatic, it had become an Instant Classic!
19) September 10, 2005
ASU Football falls to LSU 35-31 in 'Katrina' game
When the 2005 ASU Football schedule was released, I couldn’t help but circle the date of September 10, when the Sun Devils were slated to make their first-ever trip to Baton Rouge to take on SEC powerhouse LSU, led by first-year head coach Les Miles (some guy named Saban had left Baton Rouge the prior year to take an NFL coaching job).
However, four days prior to ASU’s trip to LSU, everything changed.
Because Baton Rouge had become a staging area for rescue and relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the New Orleans area and much of southern Louisiana in late August of ‘05, the decision was made to move the ASU-LSU game to Tempe. It’s hard to find the right words to convey how massive a logistical undertaking it is (and was in 2005) to move the location of a major college football game in such an incredibly short period of time.
Yet, led by Mike Chismar, ASU’s long-time Senior Associate Athletic Director for Operations & Facilities, the Arizona State athletics staff did a typically remarkable job in staging and hosting the game on that second Saturday night of September in ’05.
And what a game it proved to be – although – full disclosure – it’s one of only two Sun Devil losses to make my all-time top 25.
Taking on an opponent two years removed from being College Football’s national champion, coach Dirk Koetter’s Sun Devils competed magnificently in this game, leading 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter. A pair of touchdowns on blocked kick returns (one punt, one FG attempt) sparked an LSU rally in the fourth quarter, while quarterback Sam Keller’s 461 passing yards enabled ASU to take a 31-28 lead into the game’s final minutes.
Then, on a 4th-and-10 from the ASU 39 with 1:13 remaining, LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell found receiver Early Doucet (a future Arizona Cardinal) in the end zone for the go-ahead TD. ASU’s last possession ended with four incompletions from the LSU 28. Final: LSU 35 ASU 31.
In difficult circumstances, both teams made their fan bases proud. LSU showed incredible resiliency in the face of unfathomable adversity. Arizona State played toe-to-toe with one of the top programs in the nation. On so many levels, it was an unforgettable night of college football.
18) March 12-13, 2009
ASU Men's Basketball beats Arizona / #1 seed UW to advance to PAC-10 Tournament title game
Read the game recaps on SunDevils.com:
After six straight “one-and-done’s” since the return of the Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2002, coach Herb Sendek’s #23 Sun Devils enjoyed a full weekend in Los Angeles in March 2009, advancing all the way to the championship game of that year’s conference tournament at Staples Center.
Though Arizona State opened a tournament with a 68-56 win over Arizona (the Sun Devils’ third win without a loss against the Wildcats that season), the game I remember most came the following evening, which was also Friday the 13th!
In their first-ever Pac-10 tournament semifinal game, the Sun Devils upset #1 seed and conference regular season champion Washington 75-65 in a compelling, hard-fought and highly physical contest. ASU bolted to an early 21-point lead, only to see the #13 Huskies storm back to go ahead by one midway thru the second half. At that point, Pac-10 Player-of-the-Year James Harden helped lead the Devils on a closing 17-5 run to clinch a spot in the tournament title game the next day. Harden finished with 24 points and nine rebounds.
Other than the thrill of getting to spend the whole weekend (and not just one night) in Los Angeles, the thing I remember most about that Washington win was the game’s physicality. In fact, at one point, the contest was stopped for about five minutes following a collision involving Harden and UW’s hard-nosed guard Venoy Overton. Both those players (along with ASU point guard Derek Glasser, one of the heroes of the Sun Devils’ win) were assessed technical fouls, which led to some trash-talking between the two sides. It was fun to watch two ultra-competitive teams “leaving it all on the court” that evening. It was even more fun to see the Sun Devils emerge victorious.
Unfortunately, ASU fell the next day in the tournament championship game 66-63 to USC, as the Sun Devils let a 15-point halftime lead slip away. Still, that 2009 Pac-12 Tournament had more than its share of memorable moments.
17) April 30-May 1-2, 2010
#2 ASU sweeps #4 UCLA in top 5 baseball series
Named the interim head baseball coach at his alma mater prior to the season, one-time ASU infielder Tim Esmay led the 2010 Sun Devils to a 52-10 record, a Pac-10 championship and a berth in the College World Series as the nation’s #1 seed.
The highlight of that regular season was a three-game showdown series at UCLA on April 30th, May 1st and 2nd. The eyes of the college baseball world were on Jackie Robinson Stadium that weekend, for a match-up of the #2-ranked Sun Devils versus the #4 Bruins.
What unfolded over those three games was a Tinsiltown “Tour de Force” by the guys from Tempe, as Arizona State swept the series from the Bruins – and in the process, defeated (in back-to-back games) current MLB pitching stars Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer.
Friday night’s series opener was a 1-1 tie heading into the eighth inning, when freshman Johnny Ruettiger’s two-run triple highlighted a four-run outburst that gave ASU a 5-1 victory.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils got to Bauer for four first-inning runs on their way to a 6-1 win.
Arizona State then capped the weekend with a 12-3 victory on Sunday, to take command of the Pac-12 Conference title chase. The hitting star of that game, utility man Raoul Torrez, joined my broadcast partner Randy Policar and me on the post-game show, and Raoul had a smile on his face that could’ve lit up the entire San Fernando Valley!
As good a weekend of baseball as I’ve ever seen from a Sun Devil nine!
16) December 2, 2010
James Brookes with 2 blocks PATs in Territorial Cup win
Of all the ASU vs. UA Football rivalry games I’ve broadcast, one of the most thrilling - and bizarre – contests took place in Tucson on December 2, 2010. With an ESPN Thursday night audience viewing the game nationwide, ASU and Arizona went back-and-forth thru regulation and two overtimes, with Dennis Erickson’s underdog Sun Devils winning the game 30-29.
For ASU Fans, any win over the Wildcats is cause for celebration. However, it was the way the Devils won the 2010 game that made this Duel in the Desert so special. 6’5” ASU defensive end James Brooks blocked two Arizona extra points, with the game’s outcome hanging in the balance each time. The first blocked PAT, with :27 left in regulation, resulted in the game going to overtime tied at 20.
Then, in the second OT, after a UA touchdown brought the Wildcats to within a point at 30-29, Brooks literally rose to the occasion – again – blocking Alex Zendejas’ conversion attempt and giving the Sun Devils an improbable win.
A day later, my son Joe told me that he listened to our broadcast of the overtime periods while driving around the East Valley running errands. When Brooks blocked the second PAT kick, Joe said he nearly ran his car off the road!
Listen to Tim's calls from this Territorial Cup thriller.
15) December 8, 2012
Part 1: Jordan Bachynski records ASU Basketball's 1st ever triple-double vs. CSUN
Part 2: Zylan Cheatham records 2nd triple-double vs. Texas Southern
Read the game recap on SunDevils.com
- Jordan Bachynski records ASU Basketball's 1st ever triple-double vs. CSUN
- Zylan Cheatham records 2nd triple-double vs. Texas Southern
This next one is a two-parter, separated by six years. In the long history of ASU Men’s Basketball, only two players have ever recorded triple-doubles, and Kyle Dodd and I were fortunate and honored to have the opportunity to broadcast both of them on the radio.
On December 8, 2012, shot blocker extraordinaire Jordan Bachynski posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and a staggering ASU single-game-record 12 blocks in ASU’s 87—76 home win over Cal State Northridge – Arizona State MBB’s first-ever triple double.
Nearly six years later, on December 1, 2018, forward Zylan Cheatham joined Bachynski in the program record book with his 14-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple double in Arizona State’s 83—71 win over Texas Southern.
They don’t happen very often in college basketball, so for Arizona State men’s hoops to have two triple-doubles in a relatively short six-year span is quite remarkable.
By the way, we still believe that my long-time hoops broadcast partner (and former Sun Devil guard) Kyle Dodd still holds the ASU record for most career triple-singles!
14) November 23, 2013
ASU Football beats UCLA to clinch Pac-12 South
In my time as ASU’s Football broadcaster, the Sun Devils have won two championships. Dennis Erickson’s first Arizona State team shared the 2007 Pac-10 title with USC. Then, in 2013, Todd Graham’s second ASU squad captured the Pac-12 South Division championship, and did so with a thrilling 38-33 win at UCLA.
After having lost their two previous meetings with the Bruins, the Sun Devils stormed out to a 35-13 lead at halftime, and then held off a late UCLA comeback to earn ASU’s first-ever South Division title.
Perhaps the signature play of that game was an incredibly athletic pick-six by ASU defensive end Carl Bradford, who leaped into the air to snag a swing pass attempt by Bruin QB Brett Hundley, and then returned the interception 18 yards for a score. All told, the Sun Devil defense sacked Hundley nine times.
Though the game was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, my best memory of that night occurred back in Tempe. As the Sun Devil travel party returned home in the wee-early hours of Sunday morning, Nov. 24th, about a hundred ASU fans were waiting outside the Carson Center, braving the early-AM chill to greet the newly-crowned Pac-12 South Division champions!
Listen to the final call here.
13) February 14, 2014
ASU Men's Basketball upsets #2 Arizona 69-66 in OT
Down thru the years, Pac-12 men’s basketball games have generally been played on Thursdays and Saturdays. However, on Valentine’s Night 2014, the 18-6 Sun Devils and the #2 Arizona Wildcats squared off on a Friday evening at Wells Fargo Arena (as it was known at the time).
A crowd of over 10,000, as well as a national TV audience watching on ESPN, were treated to a double-overtime thriller.
Tied at 51 after regulation, tied at 57 after the first overtime, the Sun Devils fell behind UA 63-59 with 1:57 left in the second OT. During a time out break, analyst Kyle Dodd and I both observed that the Devils appeared to be running out of gas after a valiant effort against the 23-1 Wildcats.
Then, Jermaine Marshall came to ASU’s rescue. The transfer from Penn State (who, sadly, passed away in Janaury 2019) scored eight of his game-high 29 points in the second extra period, including a go-ahead layup with 14 seconds left. On UA’s ensuing possession, the Pac-12’s all-time leading shot-blocker, Jordan Bachynski, swatted a driving layup attempt by Arizona’s T.J. McConnell, with ASU guard Jahii Carson taking the loose ball down court for the “exclamation point” dunk. It was the third time that season – and second time in the span of a week – that a last-second Bachynski block saved a Sun Devil victory.
My lasting images from this game: Jahii hanging on the rim after his clinching dunk, and the Sun Devil fans storming the court – twice! First they “came on down” after Carson’s dunk. However: there was still less than a second of game time remaining on the clock. Then, after UA’s Nick Johnson barely missed a desperation heave at the horn, the fans stormed the court again.
It was a game – and a win – worthy of multiple court rushes!
Listen to Tim's call of the wild final seconds.
12) October 4, 2014
'Jael Mary' catch gives ASU 38-34 win at USC
Two of the most famous pass receptions in ASU Football history are known by simple two-word phrases. John Jefferson’s diving, full-extension TD grab against Arizona in 1975 is know in Sun Devil lore simply as “The Catch.”
Then, there’s the Jael Mary.
Mike Bercovici’s game-winning 46-yard TD strike to Jaelen Strong on the final play of ASU’s 38-34 win at USC in October 2014 is, without question, the singular most electrifying moment I’ve ever witnessed – or broadcast - at a Sun Devil sports event.
Consider how desperate the situation was: trailing USC 34-32, Arizona State gained possession at its own 28-yard line with 23 seconds left and no time outs remaining. Following a first-down incompletion, Bercovici hit Gary Chambers for a 26-yard gain to the USC 46 to put the Sun Devils in position for one last miracle attempt to score. The clock showed :07 remaining.
Down by two, ASU could’ve won the game with a field goal, and I actually thought that Berco may try to get a quick completion to the sideline, to give kicker Alex Garoutte a shot at a game-winning three-pointer. My sense is that the Trojans’ defense thought the same thing. When Bercovici fired his perfectly—placed pass downfield, at least 5 USC defenders stood around and watched Strong swoop in to make his historic touchdown grab.
Two footnotes on the Jael Mary game: First, the Sun Devils showed a lot of resilience that day, playing so well just nine days after they had been routed at home 62—27 by UCLA.
Second: As fate would have it, the Jael Mary game was my 200th radio broadcast as ASU Football’s play-by-play announcer. The week following the game, coach Todd Graham presented me with the game ball (the actual one Berco threw and Jaelen caught), in recognition of broadcast #200 (my sincere thanks, by the way, to CTG and to former ASU associate AD Tim Cassidy for such a wonderful gesture). That game ball is still proudly on display in the living room of my home in Mesa!!
Listen to Tim's behind-the-scenes look at the ‘Jael Mary.’
11) November 1, 2014
ASU Football beats Utah in OT on Homecoming
Sun Devil Football posted several thrilling victories in its 10-win 2014 season. On November 1 of that year, Zane Gonzales’ 36-yard field goal in overtime – his fourth FG of the night – lifted ASU to a hard-fought 19-16 Homecoming win over Utah that gave the Sun Devils sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 South Division.
That evening had added meaning for me.
As part of the weekend’s Homecoming festivities, Arizona State honored me with the ASU Alumni Appreciation Award, given annually to a non-ASU alumnus who has provided distinguished service to the University. My long-time friend, retired Arizona State Senior Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Mark Brand, recommended me to be the 2014 recipient of that award, and I’m grateful to him - and to ASU – for that recognition.
The tricky part was making my way down to the field for the halftime presentation of the award on the field!
Trust me: It’s a long way from the radio booth high atop Sun Devil Stadium, to the playing field below. The minute I tossed to a commercial break at the end of the first half, I raced out of the booth, took the press box elevator down to the concourse, hurried to the field, caught my breath, and made it to the 50-yard line in time for the ceremony! Then, moments later, I had to repeat the process to get back to the radio booth in time for the second half kickoff. What a thrilling way to get your daily cardio work done!
Listen to Tim's call of Gonzales' game-winning field goal.
10) November 8, 2014
ASU Football beats Notre Dame 55-31
In my 25 years broadcasting ASU sports, I don’t think Sun Devil Football has ever been in a better place, with more program momentum, than in the late afternoon hours of Saturday, November 8, 2014, after coach Todd Grahm’s 9th-ranked ASU team routed #10 Notre Dame 55-31.
An early scoring barrage by the Sun Devils resulted in a 34—3 Arizona State lead late in the first half. Then, after the Fighting Irish scored four unanswered touchdowns to pull within three at 34-31 midway thru the fourth quarter, ASU had one last decisive counter-punch: three touchdowns (including a 58-yard Lloyd Carrington pick-six) in the final 4 ½ minutes to seal the victory.
The win over Notre Dame improved Arizona State’s record to 8-1 (5-1 in the Pac-12), and elevated the Sun Devils to a #6 spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff rankings. Unfortunately, losses in two of their final three regular-season games ended their playoff hopes, and they haven’t been as highly-ranked since.
Still, that win over college football’s most storied program, and the way in which that win was achieved, proved to be one of the highlights of one of the best seasons of Sun Devil Football in my 25 years in the radio booth.
Listen to Tim's call of Lloyd Carrington's 58-yd pick-six that sealed a Sun Devil win.
9) January 22, 2015
ASU 79, CAL 44, My first broadcast after Mom's funeral
This memory is, for me, perhaps the most personal – and meaningful – of any on this list. My mother, Lorraine Healey, passed away on January 13, 2015, in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where I grew up. She had turned 88 just three days before her death.
Returning to Virginia for Mom’s funeral, I missed a pair of Sun Devil Men’s Basketball broadcasts – home games against Utah (a loss) and Colorado (ASU’s first Pac-12 win that year after opening conference play 0-4).
One side note: not long after his team’s win over the Buffs on January 17, head coach Herb Sendek was kind enough to call me on my cell back in Virginia to offer his condolences on Mom’s passing.
My mother was buried on Martin Luther King Day. That night, my daughter Katie Gerrich and I were on a plane back to Phoenix. Two days later, I was on another plane, accompanying the Sun Devil basketball team on its annual Pac-12 trip to the Bay Area.
Moments before tip-off of the Sun Devils’ game at Cal on Thursday, January 22, I fought to stay composed on the air as I dedicated that night’s broadcast to my mother’s memory. What happened over the next two-plus hours, was almost borderline supernatural.
Playing a Cal team with a better overall record than theirs, and playing the Bears on Cal’s home court (Haas Pavilion), the Sun Devils won in a rout. ASU held California scoreless for 13 minutes in the first half, going on a 22-0 run to effectively put the game away. What figured to be a close, back-and-forth contest between a pair of struggling Pac-12 teams, ended up being a 79—44 Sun Devil blowout, one of the most lopsided Pac-12 road wins in ASU history.
That one was for you, Mom.
8) March 25, 2016
Ryan Hingst throws no-hitter in ASU Baseball win over Utah
In my lifetime as a baseball fan, I had never witnessed a no-hitter in person, at any level of play – high school, college, minor league or MLB – until March 25, 2016.
On that Good Friday evening at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, my ASU Baseball broadcast partner Max Rossiter and I had the honor of being “behind the mic” when Arizona State sophomore right-hander Ryan Hingst tossed the 10th no-hitter in Sun Devil Baseball history.
Making the first Pac-12 start of his career, Hingst handcuffed the eventual Pac-12 champion Utah Utes in posting a 5-0 victory. Allowing only four base-runners (3 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch), the El Paso, TX., native struck out nine and threw 121 pitches, 81 of which were strikes, and most of which were well-located fast balls. Hingst retired the last 11 hitters he faced, and only once allowed multiple base-runners in an inning.
My most compelling memory of that evening, was having to deal (for the first time ever) with the ages-old baseball broadcaster’s dilemma of informing your listeners that the pitcher is throwing a no-hitter – without actually saying the words “no hitter”!!
Clearly, whatever Max and I said that night did not jinx Ryan Hingst on his special evening!
Listen to the Tim's call of the final three outs here.
7) September 10, 2016
Kalen Ballage's NCAA record 8 TD game vs. Texas Tech
On a night when future NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes was playing on the same field, Sun Devil running back Kalen Ballage was the unquestioned headliner in Arizona State’s 68-55 football win over Texas Tech in week 2 of the 2016 season.
Ballage scored 8 touchdowns against the Red Raiders, tying the FBS record and setting a new Pac-12 Conference mark for most touchdowns scored in a single game. Ballage had 7 rushing touchdowns that night, as well as a 39-yard scoring reception.
Mahomes wasn’t too shabby himself, accounting for 6 TDs (5 passing, 1 rushing), while throwing for 540 yards in a losing cause.
Over the years, I think many ASU Football fans remember our call of the stunning “Jael Mary” game-winning touchdown at USC in October 2014. However, the football play description of which I personally am most proud is the call of Kalen Ballage’s 75-yard scoring run against Texas Tech, the fourth-quarter touchdown that enabled Kalen to tie the FBS single-game record.
6) November 23-24, 2017
A great run at the Continental Tire Holiday Invitational
Read the game recap on SunDevils.com
- Sun Devil Hoops Comes Back From Nine Down In Second Half To Win 92-90 Over Kansas State
- Down 15 In First Half? No Problem. @SunDevilHoops Drops 102 To Beat Xavier
The 2017-18 Men’s Basketball Season would provide Sun Devil fans a couple of great moments, beginning with a memorable two-day run in Las Vegas in late November.
On Thanksgiving night ’17 in Las Vegas, ASU beat Kansas State in a thrilling semifinal game of the Continental Tire Holiday Invitational. Guard Kodi Justice’s 28 points (on 9-of-10 shooting) led the Sun Devils to a 92-90 win over a Wildcats team that ended up playing in the Elite Eight of that year’s NCAA Tournament.
The following day (Black Friday, Nov. 24th), ASU faced a team that eventually would be one of the four #1 national seeds in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Xavier Musketeers, in the tournament championship game.
This contest produced one of the most remarkable in-game stretches of basketball in recent Arizona State history. Trailing Xavier by 15 (44—29) with a little over three minutes left in the half, the Sun Devils outscored the Musketeers 73-42 over the contest’s final 23 minutes to run away with a 102-86 championship-clinching win.
Think about that for a moment: 73 points scored in 23 minutes. Against one of the best teams in the country. As I might say to my granddaughter Ella: Holy Moly!
Leading the way was guard Tra Holder, whose 40-points represented the fifth-highest individual single-game scoring output in ASU history.
And, yes, once again: A significant ASU sports victory took place on my wedding anniversary! Early the next morning, Margie and I caught a flight home to Phoenix, where I arrived just in time to broadcast the Sun Devils’ Territorial Cup football win over Arizona!
A Devil of a Weekend!
5) December 10, 2017
December 22, 2018
Men's Basketball vs. Kansas series
Read the games recaps on SunDevils.com
As a lifelong college hoops junkie, I was so excited about the opportunity to make my first-ever visit to one of the sport’s grandest venues, Kansas’ Allen Field House, to broadcast the Sun Devils’ December 2017 game against the #2 Jayhawks.
What figured to be a memorable experience under any circumstance, ended up as – arguably – the most thrilling two hours in my 25-year-long ASU broadcasting career.
Overcoming an early 15—2 deficit on Kansas’ home floor, the 8—0 Sun Devils stormed back to shock the Jayhawks with a sizzling display of shot-making. ASU made 14 three-point goals and shot 58% from the field in the second half, as guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Remy Martin all scored 20+ points.
The end result: A jaw-dropping 95-85 Sun Devil victory, with the 95 points representing the most scored by a Kansas opponent at Allen Field House in over 20 years.
My fondest memory of that day (besides the game itself) was the 45-minute bus ride to the Kansas City airport after the game. It was a surprisingly quiet ride, and yet, there was a palpable sense of pride and satisfaction on that bus, as everyone, I think, was basking in the glow of what Coach Bobby Hurley’s team had just accomplished. Indeed, a few days later, Arizona State rose to #3 in the national rankings, the highest in Sun Devil Men's Basketball history.
Fast-forward to a year later. On December 22, 2018, Kansas paid a return visit to Desert Financial Arena, this time as the #1 ranked team in the country. And darn if the Sun Devils didn’t get them again!
The third-largest home crowd in Arizona State MBB history (14,592) saw ASU rally for an 80-76 win in a game the Sun Devils never led until Rob Edwards’ FG with 2:23 left. The victory was ASU’s first ever at home against a #1-ranked opponent.
After the game, Zylan Cheatham (one of my all-time favorite players) joined Kyle and me on the post-game show. I have a cellphone picture of the three of us during the interview, and the excitement of the moment still gives me goosebumps every time I see that picture!
Listen to the call of the Sun Devils' upset over No. 2 Kansas in December 2017.
4) November 24, 2018
Arizona State Football 41, Arizona 40
The 2018 Territorial Cup game in Tucson featured one of the greatest comeback wins in ASU Football history.
Trailing Arizona 40—21 entering the 4th quarter, coach Herm Edwards’ Sun Devils stormed back with 20 unanswered points in the final period. Eno Benjamin’s third touchdown run of the game, a 22-yard scamper set up by a Tyler Johnson fumble recovery, proved to be the winning score.
The other “snapshot moment” from that game was UA kicker Josh Pollock’s missed 45-yard field goal try in the waning seconds, that would’ve won the game for the Wildcats.
The 19-point comeback marked the third-largest deficit overcome by an ASU Football team in the last 25 years, and enabled the Sun Devils to keep the Territorial Cup in Tempe for the second straight year. By the way, that streak now stands at five years!
Two footnotes: First, the win came on my 45th wedding anniversary. Since my wife Margie and I were married on a November 24th, which annually falls on or near the Thanksgiving holiday, it seems as though most years I’m broadcasting a Sun Devil sports event on that date. Interestingly, it also seems as though many of those games (in football or hoops) have turned out to be classics – like my marriage to Margie! And like the Devils’ win over the Cats in 2018!
Also, because my car was in the shop that weekend, the good folks at San Tan Ford gave me a loaner car – a bright red car at that – to drive down into Wildcat Country for the game!!
It was a nice car, and an even better win!
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO‼️
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) November 25, 2018
Eno TD ➡️ Sun Devils lead 41-40! pic.twitter.com/BZgAbLQBPx
3) November 23, 2019
ASU Football 31, Oregon 28
With the bright lights of ABC Television beaming the game nationwide on a cool late November Saturday evening, and with the network’s “A” crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call, a 5-5 Sun Devil team mired in the midst of a four-game losing streak stunned the college football world with their 31—28 takedown of a #6 Oregon squad that had been in contention for a College Football Playoff berth.
The catalyst for ASU’s upset win was true freshman QB Jayden Daniels, who shredded the Ducks’ defense for a career-high 408 passing yards and three TD’s. After Oregon had sliced the Sun Devils’ one-time 17-point lead down to 3 with 5 ½ minutes left, Daniels delivered the game’s signature moment, an on-target 81-yard scoring strike to Brandon Aiyuk on a 3rd-and-16 play to seal the win and knock Oregon out of CFP contention.
Other than the game itself, my other lasting memory of the Oregon win was how magnificent Sun Devil Stadium looked that evening. To accommodate ABC’s prime time telecast, the game kicked off at 5:45 pm AZ time, shortly after sunset in Tempe. The network’s bright lights gave the field an almost surrealistic look, and with a large, enthusiastic crowd on hand to support the Devils (and a healthy Oregon contingent rooting for the Ducks as well), it was as electric a game-night atmosphere as I’ve ever seen “between the buttes.”
2) January 25, 2020
ASU Men's Basketball 66, #22 Arizona 65
This is one of two home men’s basketball wins over Arizona that made my top-25 list, and for good reason. With six minutes remaining in the first half of this January 2020 rivalry match-up, coach Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils trailed the Wildcats 37—15.
ASU got back into the game with a 25-6 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second, and went ahead to stay on Alonzo Verge’s driving layup with 10 seconds left in the game. UA was unable to get a shot off on its final possession, enabling the Sun Devils to celebrate a memorable come-from-behind victory.
1) May 14, 2021
ASU Baseball 9, Oregon State 6
Freshman Ethan Long's walk-off 3-run home run in the last of the 9th inning off one of college baseball’s best relief pitchers (Oregon State southpaw Jake Mulholland) gave the Sun Devils a series-opening come-from-behind victory over the Beavers. It also capped one of the most remarkable periods of power hitting ever displayed by an Arizona State player.
In a 19-game stretch from April 16th thru May 21st of 2021, Ethan Long batted .444 with 15 HR and 40 RBI, with a 1.181 slugging percentage. Of Long’s 32 hits in that span, 23 were for extra-bases. Four times during the course of that month, E-Z (as his teammates call him) belted two home runs in one game. Long finished the season with 16 HR, the second-highest total ever by an ASU freshman, surpassed only by the great Spencer Torkelson’s 25 “Tork Bombs” in 2018.
So while my first memory in the radio booth was a painful one, to be sure, I hope you’ve discovered that there’ve been a lot of terrific memories and moments in the 25 years that have followed. Hope you enjoyed them!
Here’s to 25 more!