May 11th, 2010 
Matt Loede 
Posted in Congrats go out to legendary Cavs Play-by-play man and good friend Joe Tait, who earlier today was named to receive the Curt Gowdy Media Award for 2010. Tait has been the Cavs PBP man now for 38 seasons, and has told us that he’ll be leaving the booth after next season. Here is just some of the press release sent out about the legend.
Jackie MacMullan, a highly respected pro basketball reporter who worked for The Boston Globe for three decades and recently collaborated on a best selling book with Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and Joe Tait, a popular radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Cleveland Cavaliers for 38 years, have been selected to receive the 2010 Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during Enshrinement festivities scheduled on August 12-13, 2010 in Springfield, Massachusetts. MacMullan is the first female reporter to receive the honor in its 21-year history.
Joe Tait, the 2010 Gowdy Award winner representing the Electronic Media, is currently in his 38th season covering NBA basketball as the voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He began as Cleveland’s play-by-play announcer eight games into the club’s inaugural season of 1970, and during his first 11 years with the team, Tait earned his reputation as one of the nation’s top sportscasters.
After stints in New Jersey (1981) and Chicago (1982), Tait returned to call the Cavs’ games in 1983 when owners George and Gordon Gund acquired ownership of the team, as one of their first moves was to re-hire the most recognizable and popular voice of the franchise. In 1987, Tait was named Vice President, Broadcasting for the Cavaliers and worked on all aspects of the club’s radio and television broadcasts, calling games on WOIO-TV/19 and the Cavaliers Television Network. For the past 15 seasons, Tait has called Cavaliers’ games on News Radio WTAM 1100 and the team’s radio network that reaches most of Ohio.
Tait is an eight-time winner of Sportscaster of the Year in Ohio, spanning from 1974 to 2004. He was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1992 and was awarded the group’s C.S. Williams Founders Award for his longstanding and meritorious service in broadcasting in 1996. In 2008, Tait received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, joining Cleveland sports legends such as Jim Brown and Bob Feller as recipients of the honor. In addition, Tait was inducted to the Cleveland Sports Legends Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Cleveland Press Club Hall of Fame in 2003.
A graduate of Monmouth College in Illinois, Tait began his career in radio during college, calling local sporting events in the Illinois and Indiana area. In 1969, he worked as the voice of Indiana University college football and as the pre-game host of Indiana Pacers basketball in the old ABA. He went on to broadcast Cleveland Indians baseball for 16 years before finding his full-time home with the Cavaliers in 1970.
Congrats again Joe…you can hear him talk about the award tonight before game 5 of the Cavs-Celtics series at the Q on our show – “Countdown at the Q” on AM 930 WEOL starting at 6pm!
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