7/16/2003 - Football
Navy Announces 2003 Football Radio Announce Team
ANNAPOLIS, Md.-Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced today that Bob Socci (play-by-play) and Omar Nelson (color) will make up the broadcast team for the 2003 Navy Football Radio Network. John Feinstein, who had served as the color analyst on the Navy Football Radio Network for the past six seasons, will have a weekly segment on the pregame show. He will also join Socci and Nelson for the Air Force and Army games as part of a three-man booth. Feinstein is not returning for full-time duties due to family commitments.
"I'm real excited about our radio team," said Gladchuk. "I would stack it up against any in the country. Bob Socci is as good as it gets as far as play-by-play announcers go and I think Omar Nelson is going to bring a different perspective to the broadcast booth. He is a graduate of the Naval Academy, was a great football player here and played in Coach Johnson's offense, has had a successful Naval career and is currently an instructor at the Academy. I'm also very pleased that John Feinstein has agreed to remain a part of our broadcast team. He is a giant in the sports world and we are very lucky to have him."
Socci returns for his seventh season on the Navy football broadcasts and is entering his sixth year as the full-time play-by-play announcer for the Navy Football Radio Network. Socci has also served as the voice of Navy basketball the past seven years and last winter handled the play-by-play duties for the DIRECTV Patriot League Game of the Week.
This past spring and summer the University of Dayton graduate became the first-voice of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
Socci also broadcast baseball on the radio for several Baltimore Orioles affiliates, the Rochester Red Wings, Frederick Keys and Delmarva Shorebirds, as well as the Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals).
Omar Nelson is entering his second year on the Navy Football Radio Network and his first as the full-time color analyst. Nelson handled the color commentary on radio for last year's game at Tulane and was also the color commentator for Navy's appearances on HDNet TV.
Nelson is a 1997 graduate of the Naval Academy where he helped lead the Midshipmen to a 9-3 record and a victory over California in the Aloha Bowl. Nelson won three varsity letters at fullback for the Mids.
Upon graduation, Nelson reported to Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, R.I., and then served as the First Division Officer onboard the USS Denver (LPD-9) from August 1998-July 2000. In January of 2000, Nelson deployed for six months to the Persian Gulf with the Denver for Operation Southern Watch.
Nelson also served as the Auxiliaries Officer onboard the USS Sides (FFG-14) from November 2000-May 2002. In February of 2002, Nelson deployed with the Sides in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Nelson reported back to the Academy in June 2002 to work in the Seamanship and Navigation Department. He teaches Strategy and Tactics and Seamanship and Navigation in the spring. In the summer, he serves as the Officer in Charge of a Yard Patrol Craft training midshipmen.
John Feinstein enters his seventh season on the Navy Football Radio Network. He has been close to the Navy program for years, covering the Midshipmen for The Washington Post, and recently has authored two highly-acclaimed books that have featured the Naval Academy, Army vs. Navy, A Civil War (about the Army-Navy football rivalry) and The Last Amateurs (a basketball book about student-athletes in the Patriot League, of which Navy is a member).
He has also written best sellers, The Punch, The Majors, A March to Madness, A Good Walk Spoiled, A Season on the Brink, Play Ball, and Hard Courts and two mystery novels, Running Mates and Winter Games. Feinstein writes a regular column for AOL and is a weekly guest on National Public Radio. Feinstein also contributes essays to CBS Sports, writes for the sports and op-ed pages of The Washington Post.
Feinstein's latest book is Open--Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black and he has a book on Red Auerbach scheduled to be published this fall.
Navy's radio network will once again be featured by 1300 WJFK in Baltimore, 980 WTEM in Washington, D.C. and 1430 WNAV in Annapolis. One addition to the network is 91.5 FM in Attica, Ind., the hometown of star safety Josh Smith. All games will also be available over the internet at www.navysports.com.
NAVY FOOTBALL RADIO NETWORK
Station City Frequency
WJFK Baltimore, Md. 1300 AM
WNAV Annapolis, Md. 1430 AM
WTEM Washington, DC 980 AM
WGH Norfolk, Va. 1310 AM
WPDC Elizabethtown, Pa. 1600 AM
WSER Elkton, Md. 1550 AM
WJEJ Hagerstown, Md. 1240 AM
WJNC Jacksonville, N.C. 1240 AM
WACQ Tallassee, Ala. 1130 AM
WFWR Attica, Ind. 91.5 FM
