Mike Gorman’s farewell tour made a new stop on Friday: Studio 1A.
The legendary NBC Sports Boston play-by-play announcer took center stage on “TODAY” Friday morning. He sat down with friend and NBC News correspondent Harry Smith to discuss his final year calling Boston Celtics games, how he got started in the industry and being named the recipient of the John F. Kennedy National Award for Holyoke’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Before Gorman was calling games alongside Celtics icon Tommy Heinsohn, he said he was on the verge of becoming a substitute teacher. That was until he happened to make a military connection with a security guard who then put him in touch with another notable Boston sports media personality in Gil Santos.
Since then, Gorman has spent the last 43 years calling Celtics games from the Garden. He announced in July that the 2023-24 campaign would be his last year on the job, and he has felt the embrace from players and fans alike in his final season.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
“I feel like every time I go to the game, I’m at my own wake because they come by and say, ‘Mike, good luck to you,’” Gorman told Smith with a laugh.
When it comes to what Gorman will miss most, it has nothing to do with the game on the court. Instead, he’s going to miss the interactions with people in the building like ushers, securities and fans.
“The fans have been wonderful,” he said. “That’s been the nicest experience. It’s always the people. I mean, stories are wonderful, but the people are what are important.”
NBA
Next up for Gorman is Holyoke's St. Patrick’s Day Parade this weekend, where he will be given an award named after a former president from Massachusetts.
“I see this award and it’s ‘John F. Kennedy, Mike Gorman’ on the same thing. I’m like ‘Get out of here,’” he said. “Somebody finds that out, they’re gonna arrest you.”
For more on Gorman, watch the full “TODAY” feature above.
