Tony Caridi

Early life

Caridi grew up in Lockport, New York. Listening to the NBA's Buffalo Braves, the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, and the NFL's Buffalo Bills planted the seeds of his desire to become a play-by-play announcer.

Education

Caridi is a 1980 graduate of Lockport Senior High School in Lockport, New York. He attended the State University of New York at Geneseo, as a freshman and sophomore, studying communications. An internship with Clip Smith at ABC affiliate WKBW-TV Buffalo made Caridi realize he needed more of a challenge. He transferred to Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. Upon graduating from Syracuse, Caridi worked for WHEN Radio in Syracuse doing overnight news.

At Syracuse, Caridi was a classmate of prominent national sportscasters - Sean McDonough of ESPN and Monday Night Football; Dan Hoard, Voice of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Bearcats; Greg Papa, Voice of the Oakland Raiders; Bill Roth, former Voice of the Virginia Tech Hokies and former Voice of the UCLA Bruins; Jim Jackson, Voice of the Philadelphia Flyers; Rich Cimini, New York Jets reporter for ESPN.com; and Craig Minervini of the WWE.

Career

Caridi arrived in West Virginia in 1984, and expected to stay for a few months when he was hired by Hoppy Kercheval to work afternoon news for WAJR-AM Morgantown. He was one of two finalists for the job, so West Virginia Radio Corporation president Dale Miller (who was station general manager at the time) suggested a coin toss to decide which candidate to hire. Caridi won the flip. He assumed the role of Sports Director when Metronews was created two years later. Caridi took over as host of the Northside Automotive Statewide Sportsline in 1986 and continues in that role today.

Through Caridi's Syracuse connection, several national broadcasters started their careers at West Virginia Radio Corporation's Metronews Radio Network - Dave Pasch, Voice of the Arizona Cardinals and ESPN's College Football and NBA coverage; Dave Ryan of CBS Sports; Dave Jageler, Voice of the Washington Nationals; and Sagar Meghani of Associated Press Radio News.

West Virginia University

Caridi began working with the West Virginia University's Mountaineer Sports Network in 1987 as a television play-by-play announcer and feature reporter. He worked his first WVU basketball game on the MSN-TV Network in February 20, 1988, in a Mountaineers loss to the Rhode Island Rams at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Caridi assumed radio play-by-play duties on MSN in 1997, replacing Jack Fleming. Fleming, the longtime Voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers and West Virginia Mountaineers, referred to his eventual replacement as "Top Talent." Caridi referred to Fleming as "The Voice."

Caridi has been behind the microphone for some of the Mountaineers' biggest football wins in school history, including Bowl Championship Series victories in the 2006 Sugar Bowl over the Georgia Bulldogs, the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the Oklahoma Sooners, and the 2012 Orange Bowl over the Clemson Tigers. In March 2010, he returned to the Carrier Dome at his alma mater, Syracuse University, to broadcast the West Virginia basketball upset victory over the Kentucky Wildcats to advance the Mountaineers to the Final Four for the first time in 51 years.

Caridi partners with former WVU player Jay Jacobs on Mountaineer basketball broadcasts and former Ball State head football coach Dwight Wallace on West Virginia football games. His spotter for the 1992 football season was current Drexel and former West Point head basketball coach Zach Spiker.

On December 28, 2002, Caridi broadcast two West Virginia University games (football and basketball) in the same day - one in the Eastern Time Zone and one in the Pacific Time Zone. The football game in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl against the Virginia Cavaliers. After a flight from Charlotte to Atlanta, he flew to Las Vegas, Nevada, to work the basketball game at UNLV.

Caridi hosts the Dana Holgorsen and the Bob Huggins statewide radio shows.

Other media

Caridi has broadcast nationally on ESPN, Westwood Radio, and regionally for the Big East and Atlantic Ten television networks.

In 2002, Caridi was a founding member of Pikewood Creative, an Emmy Award winning video production company. He continues to serve as the company's Director of Business Development.

Caridi's audio highlights were used in the 2014 ESPN 30 for 30 feature, Rand University, on two touchdown passes from Chad Pennington to Randy Moss from the August 30, 1997 Friends of Coal Bowl football game between West Virginia Mountaineers and the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Awards

Caridi has earned prominent accomplishment awards such as West Virginia Sportscaster of the Year and Best Network Play-By-Play for Mountaineer Football by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.

Quotes

After significant WVU victories - "It is a great day to be a Mountaineer, wherever you may be!"

March 2010, following West Virginia's upset over the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the East Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament - “Good-bye Big Blue—hello, Gold and Blue. The West Virginia Mountaineers are going to the Final Four!”

Children's Book Author

In October 2016, Caridi unveiled his first children's book, "“Where, Oh Where, Oh Where Could We GO? Traveling West Virginia High and Low,” featuring some of the favorite travel destinations throughout West Virginia. He is in the process of developing more children's books that include messages of anti-bullying and hard work equals success. Caridi was inspired to write a children's book after he and his wife, Joan, were volunteers in the Read Aloud program in Monongalia County Schools.