Monaco looks to leave own mark as Voice of the Cowboys

Aug. 26—LARAMIE — For the first time in nearly four decades, University of Wyoming football fans will hear a different voice on the radio when the Cowboys kick off their 2022 season this weekend.

However, the UW faithful should be plenty familiar with the new man behind the mic.

Reece Monaco was announced as the successor to longtime play-by-play commentator Dave Walsh on July 1, and is set to broadcast his first game as the new Voice of the Cowboys on Saturday at Illinois. Monaco has been a staple of UW athletics for the past two decades, serving for 19 seasons as the voice of Cowgirls basketball, before moving into the same role with the men's basketball team in 2020. He's also been the sideline reporter on football broadcasts for the past 10 years.

Monaco has been asked plenty over the last two months about the prospects of taking over for one of his mentors, a nine-time Wyoming sportscaster of the year and inductee into the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. For him, the response to these types of questions is a simple one.

"My answer to that is those shoes can't be filled," Monaco said. "He is the voice of a generation, maybe two generations for Wyoming athletics. The only thing I can do is try to step in and bring it the best I can, and try to make it mine. I think that's what I did with basketball for the last couple of years. And, hopefully, I'll gain the trust of Wyoming fans.

"They can trust me that I'm going to try to keep it at the same level that Dave was for so, so long. It's an absolute honor. With so many outstanding sportscasters in Wyoming, for the university and for Learfield to trust me to do this, it's just a great feeling. When they announced it in July, it was like, 'OK.' It's game week now. It's go time. There's no more sitting around thinking about what could've/should've been. It's time to get going."

While Monaco views Walsh a mentor, there hasn't been a ton of advice from the man passing him the torch in recent months. Having witnessed Monaco's abilities as a broadcaster up close, Walsh notes "there's not a whole lot I could tell Reece, honestly."

Monaco is a five-time Wyoming sportscaster of the year himself, and Walsh is confident he's the perfect fit to take his place in the broadcast booth.

"He possesses all the talents of a good play-by-play guy and a good sportscaster," Walsh said. "You can hear the lilt in his voice, and he's into it. He's not deadpan whatsoever, and he gets emotional, and he describes what's going on.

"He has that talent to be able to paint the picture, as we say. Reece is very good at that. He has that gift of gab that really helps in this business, so all those traits that you look for and hope for in a good radio personality, Reece has that. He's going to slide right in there and just do great."

'Wyoming in their soul'

In addition to his wealth of experience doing play-by-play for UW basketball games, as well as his decade as a part of the football broadcast, Monaco's affiliation with the university goes back to his days as a student in the 1990s.

He says his first experiences with Wyoming sports was listening to Walsh, as well as his partner in the broadcast booth, Kevin McKinney, on the radio. In doing so, the seed was planted in his mind that broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue.

"I was a high school athlete, a weekend warrior type of guy, and I realized really quick that there really wasn't a lot of room in the sports world for a kind of short, fat, slow guy," Monaco recalled. "My decision to go into sportscasting was to keep in sports, to be around it, and to participate in the only way I know, to be able to describe to people and tell people about it. That's why I got into this."

Monaco took his first broadcasting job at KCSR in Chadron, Nebraska, where he started out calling games for Chadron High. He vividly remembers his first broadcast — a showdown between Chadron and Gordon high schools — and eventually moved into a role calling Chadron State women's basketball games.

This experience opened the door for him to return home to Wyoming as a broadcaster for the Cowgirls basketball program, an opportunity he views as a turning point in his career. He's been entrenched in UW athletics ever since.

"When I got the chance to start doing Wyoming women's basketball, I considered that a huge break for me," Monaco said. "That got my foot in the door over there, and I got to work with one of the best coaching staffs I have ever been around — with Joe Legerski and Gerald Mattinson and his assistant coaches, Heather (Ezell), Ryan (Larsen), Fallon (Lewis), Mike Petrino and everybody that was on that staff.

"That was an incredible break, and that got my voice out there to Wyoming fans. I think that familiarity has really helped me on this journey from women's basketball to men's basketball and now here to football. I developed a relationship with a lot of Wyoming football fans through that, so those are the highlights."

While some athletic departments would conduct an outside search to find the new play-by-play voice for generations to come, Wyoming didn't have to look far. Instead, the Cowboys elected to keep the hire within the UW family.

McKinney, who worked alongside Monaco on men's basketball broadcasts for the past two seasons, is pleased the university decided to do so.

"I think it's important to do that, and for (the play-by-play voice) to have Wyoming in their soul," McKinney said. "We're very fortunate that Reece does have that. He's earned it. He's been around a long time, he's done a lot of games, Cowgirls and Cowboys, so to have him get this opportunity is really special.

"I'm so happy for him. I know he's going to be a little nervous in that first game, but he'll do great. He's a professional, and I'm really happy for him that he got this opportunity."

Familiar sound

Obviously, there will be a new wrinkle to the broadcast this season, with the only play-by-play voice that a significant portion of Wyoming football fans have known stepping away from the booth after 38 years. However, with McKinney — who has been a fixture on UW broadcasts since the 1970s — entering his 27th season as the color commentator for Cowboys football, there will be a familiar feel, as well.

"First, his knowledge is absolutely incredible," Monaco said of what stands out about his time working alongside McKinney. "Kevin has forgotten more about the University of Wyoming and Wyoming athletics than I'll ever know, or a lot of people will ever know.

"And just his dry sense of humor. The way he approaches some things, you have to pay attention. Nobody has ever accused me of being a genius, and sometimes that just goes right over my head."

Having had the chance to call Cowboys basketball games with Monaco, McKinney sees a handful of similarities between him and his former radio partner.

"His preparation is outstanding," McKinney said. "He's very good at painting a clear picture of what's going on, and that's a talent. That's not easy to do. Dave was the same way. These guys are, in their own way, an artist. They're painting a picture for us with words. I grew up listening to the play-by-play announcers with my dad, and I always marveled at how they did that.

"Reece has that ability. He's very clear about it. He's a guy that gets excited at the right times. I think he's always upbeat. Everybody says when they hear the game, they can tell if we're down because of me. I hate that, but that's me. He's always positive, always upbeat, and when he gets excited, you can't help but get excited."

Beginning of a new era

Walsh admits that this week has a bit of an unusual feeling to it. Despite the oddness of knowing he won't be in the broadcast booth this weekend, though, he's happy about the change.

Gone are the days of spending countless hours preparing spot charts, and performing in-depth research on the Cowboys and their upcoming opponent. This year, it's been a more relaxing experience getting ready for UW's season.

Walsh plans to spend Saturday in the comfort of his own home, cheering for the Pokes alongside family members. And, of course, listening to his close friends on the radio broadcast.

"I'm looking forward to it, actually," Walsh said. "I'll listen, and I get to be more of a fan now. I can scream and cheer, and sing 'Cowboy Joe' whenever I want now. It'll be different, but it'll be great, and it'll be a lot of fun listening to Reece and Kevin, too."

The lead-up to the season opener has been a new experience for Monaco, as well.

As a sideline reporter, there wasn't nearly as much pregame preparation required, with his primary responsibilities being to provide injury reports and give analysis on what he was seeing on the field. This time around, his research started last week, and has only ramped up in recent days. He even went out and bought a new pair of binoculars recently, preparing to take in the game from his new vantage point in the broadcast booth.

The initial reaction to being announced as the new Voice of the Cowboys was one of a dreamlike nature for Monaco. As kickoff inches closer, though, reality has settled in.

"It has hit me," Monaco said. "I'm in awe that I'm in this position, and I'm forever grateful that I'm getting this opportunity."

Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.