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Joe Tait, Original Radio Voice Of NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, Dies At 83
March 11, 2021 at 1:20 AM (PT)
Tait (Photo: Cleveland Cavaliers / Cavs.com)
JOE TAIT, the longtime radio play-by-play voice of CLEVELAND CAVALIERS basketball, died WEDNESDAY (3/10) after battling kidney disease and liver cancer. He was 83.
TAIT, whose career started at WRAM-A/MONMOUTH, IL while attending MONMOUTH COLLEGE, called OHIO UNIVERSITY and INDIANA UNIVERSITY sports and hosted at WBOW-A/TERRE HAUTE before getting the job calling CAVS games on WERE-A/CLEVELAND in the team's debut NBA season, 1970-71. TAIT remained with the CAVS (later on WWWE/WTAM-A) through his 2011 retirement, with the exception of two years when he called NEW JERSEY NETS (1981-82) and CHICAGO BULLS (1982-83) games. In addition, he did play-by-play for CLEVELAND INDIANS baseball on radio and TV for 16 seasons (1973-79 on television, 1980-87 on radio) and also called games for the WNBA's CLEVELAND ROCKERS (1997-2004). He was honored with the NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME's CURT GOWDY Media Award in 2010.