Alabama radio voice Eli Gold announces he is 'free and clear of cancer'
Alabama radio play-by-play voice Eli Gold shared some great news Thursday. After undergoing a PET scan this past week, Gold is now “free and clear of cancer,” he told WNSP-FM 105.5.
“No cancer,” Gold said during an appearance on The Opening Kickoff. “I was free and clear of cancer. … Now, it’s just a matter of getting stronger and being ready for the start of the season.”
Gold, the longtime voice of Alabama football, missed the Tide’s 2022 campaign due to health issues that he later found out were cancerous. After more than 180 days in the hospital, which included multiple trips at UAB, and even time in a nursing home, Gold received good news.
“I don’t mind telling you we were bags of nerves,” Gold said. “All of us: my wife, my daughter. We were a bag of nerves. The doctor walked in and said, ‘Well, you are free and clear. There’s no cancer to be found anywhere.’”
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In August of 2022, vice president and general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing Jim Carabin announced that Gold would be sidelined by health issues to start the 2022 season with Chris Stewart filling in for him on the airwaves. Gold, who has called Alabama football games since 1988, did not return to the booth by the time the Tide’s campaign ended in New Orleans, and five days after the win over Kansas State, he announced he was battling cancer.
Gold’s cancer diagnosis came on Christmas Eve, and he started chemotherapy on New Year’s Eve. After more than five months, he is now cancer-free. He still has a follow-up appointment in three months, as well as another PET scan in six, “just to make sure everything is kosher.”
But the longtime broadcaster was happy to share the good news on Thursday.
In April, he told the same radio station that he plans to be back in the booth for the 2023 season.
“Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I am planning to be back in time for the start of the regular season,” Gold said. “I may show up with a walker, and if that’s the case, big darn deal. There are tons of people who use walkers in this world. If I can get by with a cane, I’ll do that. Whatever it is.”
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