But determined to improve, Durham returned to the booth for his 40th season.
Though Durham felt he overcame his personal struggles despite the adversity faced by the UNC football program in 2010, the job soon began taking a toll on the 69-year-old.
“That’s when I really began to think about (retirement) because the overlap (of football and basketball) in November of 2010 took a physical toll on me,” Durham said. “It wore me out.”
While visiting his family for the holidays the following month, Durham informed his sons about his plan to call it quits.
And to the broadcaster’s delight, his son Wes Durham, a play-by-play announcer for Georgia Tech, offered his full support.
“He said, ‘Well Dad, if you do it after this season is over, you will go out on your terms,’” Durham said. “I like that a lot, because that’s the way I wanted to do it.
I didn’t want to stay so long that I would have a problem with not doing the job that I wanted to do…I didn’t want to be carried kicking and screaming out of the broadcast booth.”
Just the right fit
During his 11 years working with the Tar Heel Sports Network, Angell has experienced just about everything the job has to offer.
The UNC alumnus began working for the network in the summer of 1998 after his sophomore year of college — delivering lunches, listening to tapes and filling in where he was needed.
Angell has called play-by-play for UNC women’s basketball and baseball, and since 2005 has served in a host role in Durham’s football and basketball play-by-play broadcasts.
Though they didn’t have to look very far for the next Voice of the Tar Heels, Baddour and Learfield Sports decided to conduct a nationwide for prospective candidates.
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Angell sumbitted his resume and audio tapes and had five or six interviews before finally snagging his new gig.
“I went through that process just like the rest of the candidates did, and I think that was the right way to handle it,” Angell said. “It makes me feel good — obviously, that they felt I was the right fit.”
Learfield Sports general manager Gary Sobba said there was tremendous interest in the position, and many applications were submitted.
But ultimately it was Angell’s proven competency that made him right for the job.
“We knew he’s been tremendous on the air and he’s got a great work ethic,” Sobba said. “For our fan base, we think it’s important that he can bridge history. Even though he’s such a young guy, he knows the history of Carolina athletics.”
The opportunity of a lifetime
Angell was informed about his promotion while he was in Omaha, Neb. calling play-by-play for the UNC baseball team during its recent appearance in the College World Series.
And though the Tar Heels would go home without a national championship, Angell returned to Chapel Hill with the opportunity of a lifetime in hand.
“I was hoping to get a college play-by-play job at a great school, and fortunately that all came together at Carolina,” Angell said. “That just makes it even sweeter.”
After hearing that Angell had been selected to follow in his footsteps, Woody Durham called his successor to congratulate him.
Durham, who intends to sit in the stands as a Tar Heel fan for the upcoming UNC football season, has vowed to steer clear of the broadcasting booth in order to give Angell the space he needs to excel in his new position.
Because of Angell’s experience and the loyalty of UNC fans, the veteran announcer said he’s confident the transition will be smooth.
But just for good measure, Durham gave Angell a small piece of advice about keeping his audience engaged.
“I said, ‘Jones, all you have to do is to get the names and the numbers right,’” Durham said. “’And the Tar Heels will take care of the rest.’”
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.
