EXCLUSIVE: Gators Online interviews new UF voice Sean Kelley
The last month has been a whirlwind for Sean Kelley. Working for ESPN has afforded Kelley the opportunity to travel the country. He called a combined no-hitter at Yankee Stadium and made his first trip to Fenway Park, where he admittedly, became a fan.
A St. Louis native, Kelley grew up on Jack Buck and the legendary voice’s calls of all things St. Louis Sports. He honed his craft at Southern Illinois, where he graduated, then Missouri, Tulane, and New Orleans with the Pelicans. Kelly is no stranger to the Gators, calling Florida’s win over Miami in 2019 and the two Florida-LSU games in Baton Rouge.
He has a wealth of experience at both the college and professional level, as well as throughout multiple sports. He wouldn’t pick a favorite.
“It’s like picking your favorite kid,” Kelley said in response to which sport is his favorite to call. “You know, there’s a cliche, but I grew up I grew up when it was football season, football was your favorite sport. And then the seasons would change.”
There is one thing in particular that Kelley is delighted to get back to.
Kelley is eager to get back to a team
While working as ESPN’s national college radio voice, Kelley had the opportunity to travel the country and call some unique matchups. Perhaps no call is better than when a fan dressed as Santa Claus eluded stadium security in Austin, Texas. He’s been to Tiger Stadium and the Collesium. NFL stadiums, historic baseball parks, and NBA arenas.
“When you’re the national guy, you kind of parachute in and, you know, there’s great benefits to it. Don’t get me wrong, just you can look at the list of games I got to do and it’s, you know, it’s a dream, really. A great thing is at the end of the game, you know, no matter how it goes, you just, you know, you take your headsets off and you like bird, see, and you walk out the door, right? You don’t have that investment in the team like, you know, the jubilation of a win or we lost or we lost in a bad way.”
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But there’s something missing. Being part of a team.
Sure, the voice of a team isn’t factoring into wins and losses but they are every bit part of the fabric of a team and a conduit to the fans. There isn’t a Gator highlight in the past three decades where a fan wouldn’t imitate a Mick Hubert “Oh My!”
They might not factor win or lose games, but they’re certainly part of the program.
“I think with Florida, it’s really kind of the realization of that dream and kind of all of it coming full circle into one package at a place where you’ve got a fan base that is outrageously enthusiastic about the team and is widespread,” Kelley said on the Gators Online Podcast.
Kelley will certainly have his work cut out for him replacing a legend in Hubert. That’s not on his mind. Now, like he would for a game, he’s preparing for another opportunity with a team and the opportunity of his career.
“The traditions at Florida and this legacy of championship performances across all other sports. Sometimes when you’re in Gator Nation or whatnot, it’s enveloping,” Kelley told Gators Online. “You don’t realize how other people see your program. And what I want Florida to know is that it’s a worldwide brand.”
