Jim Hall (announcer)

Jim Hall (born May 30, 1933 in New York, New York)^[1] is the public address announcer for New York Giants football games at MetLife Stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Career

Hall served as spotter and understudy to legendary New York Yankees and Giants PA announcer Bob Sheppard from the opening of Giants Stadium in 1976 until the beginning of the 2006 season, when he replaced the retiring Sheppard as principal announcer. He still holds this position as of the 2015 season.

Hall met Sheppard when he was in high school, as Sheppard would judge Hall in speech and debate events. Hall, like Sheppard, taught in high school and at St. John’s University, where he became the chairman of the Department of Speech, Communication and Theater for twelve years out of a forty-five year tenure, before retiring in 2004.^[2]

Hall also served as Sheppard's understudy at Yankee Stadium, beginning in the mid-1960s. He replaced Sheppard for the 2007 post-season when Sheppard developed bronchitis, and again for the entire 2008 season. Paul Olden took over as the full-time Yankee Stadium announcer when the Yankees moved to their new ballpark in 2009.^[3]

Hall's voice is quite similar to Bob Sheppard's. When he filled in for Sheppard, visiting teams and media often did not know that Sheppard was not announcing. This was purposeful, as Hall has said Sheppard asked him to speak in his same style and cadence so as not to distract the fans.^[2]

References

1. http://sports.nyhistory.org/category/public-address/
2. Barron, James (September 4, 2008). "A Yankees announcer gets a chance to start". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
3. Curry, Jack (April 2, 2009). "Voice of Yankee Stadium May Be Done". New York Times.