Cal’s football team warm up during training camp at Memorial Stadium I Berkeley, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Cal decided to stay local to find its replacement for legendary play-by-play broadcaster Joe Starkey.
The Bears’ athletic director Jim Knowlton and Learfield officially announced on Thursday that they’ve hired Justin Allegri from San Jose State to take the mic from Starkey.
“We are absolutely thrilled to introduce Justin Allegri to our fan base and welcome him to our Cal Family,” Knowlton said in a statement. “Justin is a multi-talented broadcaster and a Northern California native, and is the perfect fit to tell the story of our football and men’s basketball programs. Justin will be an incredible representative of Cal, and I can’t wait to hear him describe all of the memorable moments to come.”
Allegri has spent 11 years as the lead voice of his alma mater in San Jose State, calling football and men’s basketball games. He also has filled in for the San Jose Giants for Joe Ritzo on occasions and provides commentary for Sony’s “MLB The Show” video game.
“This is a role that’s highly coveted, not only because of the university and the academic integrity that it has, but the athletics it has as well,” Allegri said in a statement. “This is a job that Joe Starkey held to such a high standard for a long, long time. I’m never going to use the phrase, ‘filling his shoes’ or ‘taking his job.’ I’m always going to use the phrase, ‘hoping to carry the baton.’ Joe is Cal football and forever will be.”
Starkey had been the voice of Cal’s football broadcasts for 48 seasons and announced that 2022 would be his last before the season began. He also spent 20 years as the 49ers radio play-by-play announcer, including calling two Super Bowl wins.
Cal games will continue to be aired on KGO 810 AM, even after that station’s changeover from its longtime news setup to its current setup as “The Spread,” which plays national shows with a focus on sports betting.
San Jose State is expected to have a replacement for Allegri announced in the coming days ahead of their Aug. 26 opener at USC.
“We wish Justin well in his new endeavor and appreciate his excellent work for over a decade here at San José State University,” San Jose State deputy athletic director Scott MacDonald said in a statement. “He has helped create a first-class broadcast operation here for SJSU Athletics and we look to continue that great work moving forward.”
Originally published at Alex Simon