UW play-by-play voice Dave Walsh retires

Jul. 1—For the first time in nearly four decades, the University of Wyoming will have a new play-by-play voice on the call for football radio broadcasts this fall.

UW announced Friday that Dave Walsh, who was hired in 1984 and had fulfilled play-by-play duties since 1985, was retiring. Cowboys basketball radio voice and former football sideline reporter Reece Monaco will take Walsh's spot alongside Kevin McKinney in the broadcast booth.

The announcement was made jointly with LEARFIELD, the multimedia rights holder for UW athletics.

"Seeing Dave step away completely is difficult for someone like me who grew up listening to Dave tell the great stories of Wyoming football and basketball," UW Athletics Director Tom Burman said in a news release. "On behalf of our athletics department, and as a fan myself, I want to thank Dave for his outstanding work for the past 38 years. He has been a great ambassador of UW Athletics, and we will be forever grateful.

"With that said, we look forward to seeing Reece develop as the new voice of Wyoming Cowboy football and basketball. I believe he has a very, very bright future."

Added Brad Poe, general manager of Wyoming Sports Properties, LEARFIELD's locally based team: "We can't thank Dave enough for his long-time commitment to the Cowboys. Dave is a Wyoming legend, and will be remembered in homes all over Wyoming for many years to come. His voice will carry on in the hearts of Cowboy fans forever.

"We are very excited to elevate Reece Monaco to the 'Voice of the Cowboys!' He's played an integral role on the Cowboy Sports Network for many years and has earned this opportunity. To be only the third 'Voice of the Cowboys' since 1947 is impressive."

Walsh, who was voted Wyoming Sportscaster of the Year nine times by his peers in the National Association of Sportswriters and Sportscasters, was inducted into the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in the summer of 2015. He was inducted into the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame the following year, and was the 26th recipient of the National Football Foundation Chris Schenkel Award — presented annually since 1996 to individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university — in 2020.

Over his 38-year career, Walsh worked with nine different football coaching staffs. He also worked with eight men's basketball staffs, having served as the Cowboys' radio voice on the hardwood until 2020. He described countless memorable moments throughout the years, with his trademark phrase, "The Score, Oh the Score," securing a special place in UW athletics lore.

"It has been a privilege to be the 'Voice of the Cowboys' for 38 years," Walsh said. "I truly feel like I've had the best play-by-play job in America. The people of Wyoming have been fantastic to me and my family. I feel truly blessed to have enjoyed so many wonderful relationships with fans, players, coaches and athletic support staff through the years, as well as sharing great relationships with other broadcasters around our state and around the country. I can't thank enough all the network staff who I've worked with from the time Curt Gowdy first hired me, to K2 Radio, to Montgomery Broadcasting and now with LEARFIELD.

"They all helped make my job easier. It made it even more special to share the broadcast booth with my good friend Kevin McKinney for all these years. We had fun working together, and I think we did some good radio through the years. I hope we brought enjoyment to those listening. There will, no doubt, be many things I will miss about broadcasting Cowboy games, but I feel like this is the right time for me to step away. I walk away taking with me so many wonderful memories. Thanks to the people of Wyoming and all the best to Reece, who has already proven what an outstanding broadcaster he is."

Monaco has been selected Wyoming Sportscaster of the Year five times, beginning his affiliation with UW as a student in the early 1990s. A long-time sportscaster and newscaster for KFBC Radio in Cheyenne, Monaco was the play-by-play voice of Cowgirls basketball for 19 seasons before taking over as the voice of Cowboys for the 2020-21 season. He served as the sideline reporter for UW football for the past 10 years.

2018 Wyoming Sportscaster of the Year Erick Pauley, who is currently the vice president of operations for The Radio Network in Green River, will take Monaco's spot on the sidelines. Pauley was a defensive lineman for the Cowboys under Joe Glenn.

"I am incredibly honored," Monaco said. "My first experience with Wyoming football and basketball was listening to Dave Walsh and Kevin McKinney. Dave is and will always be the 'Voice of the Cowboys' to an entire generation of Cowboys fans and will be greatly missed by me and the fans who have grown to love his amazing voice.

"Dave is a friend and mentor, and to say I have big shoes to fill is an understatement. With so many outstanding sportscasters in Wyoming, I am thrilled that Tom Burman and Brad Poe have the faith in me to step into this role and bring Wyoming football and basketball to Cowboys fans in Wyoming and around the country."

Monaco, who is the third individual to hold the title of full-time play-by-play voice for Wyoming football and men's basketball, will be joined in the booth by McKinney as color analyst. McKinney has been a fixture on UW broadcasts since the 1970s, with the upcoming men's basketball season set to be his 50th providing color commentary. He's added color analysis for Cowboys football games since 1996.

McKinney was inducted into the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2015. He was named Wyoming Sportscaster of the Year in 2000, while earning a lifetime achievement award from the Wyoming State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

"I was always impressed with Dave's preparation, his professionalism, his unique ability to paint a picture with his words and phrases, and his passion for the business and the Cowboys," McKinney said. "He taught me a ton about sports broadcasting. He always appreciated and respected his role as 'Voice of the Cowboys.'

"His voice and 'The Score, Oh the Score,' will forever be a special piece of Wyoming athletic tradition. I will miss him tremendously. At the same time, I'm anxious to begin the next chapter with Reece, who not only has paid his dues to receive this opportunity, but who understands the importance of his role to the university and the state of Wyoming."