In June, Alabama football play-by-play announcer Eli Gold delivered some great news that he was cancer-free, and just one month later, in an interview with Tide 100.9 FM’s Ryan Fowler, he delivered more good news.
Gold plans on being in the broadcast booth for Alabama’s first game of the 2023 season.
“I’m now healthy, ready to go, looking forward to the season,” Gold said during the radio interview Friday. “And every day for me is now a great day now that I’m healthy and ready to get at it.”
Gold was absent from the booth during the Crimson Tide’s 2022 season battling health issues that he would eventually find out were cancerous. After spending nearly six months in and out of hospitals and a nursing home, Gold got a bad case of hiccups that were causing him breathing difficulties. He finally got a cancer diagnosis on Christmas Eve and later revealed that he had a treatable form of cancer.
Just eight months later, Gold has conquered his Stage 3 cancer and is now concentrating on weight loss and returning to his old seat in the broadcast booth that Chris Stewart kept warm during his absence. Gold said his voice was not affected by his health problems, but he is planning on getting some practice in to knock off the rust during the team’s two fall scrimmages.
“I’m coming back,” Gold said. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to be doing the two scrimmages – not on the air – but the two scrimmages that the team always has on the two Saturdays before the start of the regular season. So that will be August 19 and August 26 this year. We’re going to go into the booth and just do a make-believe broadcast.”
“I know I’m ready. I’m in good shape. Here’s a sentence you’ve rarely ever heard: I’ve been going to the gym three times a week. That’s something you’ve never heard Eli Gold say. I’ve been working; I’m in great shape, but I want to get back into the groove. So we’re going to do those two fall scrimmages on the 19th and the 26th, and then we’ll be ready to go in time for the start of the regular season on the second. So yes, I’m ready to get at it.”
If everything stays on schedule, Gold will be in the broadcast booth on September 2 when the Tide play host to Middle Tennessee for their season opener.
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