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New Voice of the Heat: Gale Nelson! | Fresh off taking the mic at the Kaseya Center, new Heat public address announcer Gale Nelson joins the show ahead of his home debut! Gale talks about the process of getting hired, stepping in after the iconic Mike B, and his excitement surrounding the team!
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00:00I'm very Goosey's moment for this man last night. He is the new PA announcer for your Miami Heat.
00:05Gail Nelson joining us here on the show. Gail, how are you, man? Welcome to the show.
00:08I'm doing well, doing well. Now, Tobin, you did kind of, you know, you fumbled that a little bit.
00:14Now, Leroy, we got to help him out.
00:15Yeah, well, listen, we've been doing this long enough. He's a fumbler.
00:20So you just kind of roll with it and say, that's my guy.
00:25I'm the fumbler? I'm the fumbler all of a sudden?
00:28Yeah. I bring peace. I bring peace, guys. I bring peace.
00:32Gail, you are the second Gail that I know.
00:37Really?
00:37The first Gail is the only autographed item that I have in my life.
00:44And when I got to meet him, I've never been more speechless.
00:49Well, Leroy, let me tell you something. Leroy Tobin, first of all, thanks for having me.
00:53I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. My daddy was in the Air Force, stationed in Omaha,
00:58Nebraska. My mom named me Curtis Anthony. My daddy gets there to Bryan Memorial Hospital
01:03in Lincoln and says, oh, no, my boy, my baby is going to be named Gail Sayers Nelson.
01:10Really?
01:10Our firstborn child. Our firstborn child is Gail Sayers Nelson II, and the grandbaby's
01:16on the way. And guess what? G3, Gail Sayers Nelson III is on his way. So you're going to
01:21know a whole lot of Gails as a result of this call.
01:24Yes.
01:24And I'm the third Heat announcer, PA announcer. So how about that for a kickoff?
01:30That's amazing. And the only reason why I was a big fan of him, it was the only movie
01:38where they showed actual footage.
01:40That's right.
01:41Bryan Song, it was the first time I ever watched a movie, and they showed actual NFL footage
01:47to where you could see how great this dude really was.
01:50That's incredible. I've had so many people tell me that he would just be, if he had not
01:54gotten injured, he would have been, oh, my goodness.
01:56Yes.
01:58May he rest in peace.
01:59That is goosey right there.
02:01That's crazy.
02:04I've known that about Leroy forever, is that that's the only autograph he goes, the only
02:07one I have.
02:08Wow.
02:10Like, that's something I've known about him forever. So what a tie in there. But Gail,
02:14hey, first of all, congratulations. Great job last night.
02:17How was it? I mean, just to finally be there after all the anticipation, and I'm sure you've
02:23been thinking about that night for a long time, even if it's just a scrimmage, what was
02:27it like being in the seat, and what was it like getting that opportunity?
02:30Well, the first thing that really just put me at ease is giving Mike B. a big hug pregame.
02:37We embraced. We shook hands. I said, hey, dinner in at least two weeks on you. Well, I said
02:42it would be on me.
02:43But so shout out to my man, Mike B. It was electric. And when you think about not only
02:49the cause, as you know, again, cancer and supporting the survivors and celebrating them,
02:56but to be the first person, the first PA announcer for the Miami Heat to announce Giannis
03:03out of the Kunbo. And then, of course, the Captain Bam right after that. It was, I fed
03:08off the energy, and I just can't stress enough for Heat Nation to come out, get their tickets,
03:13so we take this all the way to the Larry O'Brien.
03:16It was a, it was an awesome night, and it was, it's one of the, my favorite nights. It's such
03:21a great cause.
03:22Yes.
03:23Was, you know, how was it just seeing kind of the action go by? Like, did it go faster
03:27than you thought it was? I know it was kind of a wonky game because it's a lot of dunks
03:31and threes, and it's not, you know, necessarily a high-stakes action, but how was it just kind
03:36of seeing it in person there?
03:38Yeah. The biggest thing for me, and as a PA announcer, keep in mind, you call a regular
03:42NBA game, just a regular basketball game, and you have the, the highs, and then you
03:47have the opposing team that scores, and you just get, let's just say, use a little less
03:51energy, professional, but less energy, you know.
03:54I like that.
03:54And so, but last night was, Tim Hardaway Jr. So it was, it was not, so it was like pedal
04:01to the metal all night long, so I got some good voice practice last night, and, but I love,
04:07you know, saying names like Bez and Bang, I love that name. That would just, that was
04:11like, you know, a NASCAR kind of thing, so it was pretty cool. It was a lot of fun, and
04:15seeing my name there, fellas, you know, in that seat, you know, he welcomes Gale Nelson,
04:21public address announcer. I felt right at home, and I had the best seat in the house.
04:25Yeah, that's, that's the thing. If you're a sports guy, there's no better job to have
04:29than to be up front and personal with all the action.
04:33And you know what's so cool about it? The Heat Nation, the Heat culture.
04:37It's very much, it's family. And so from the executives to even the ushers, they give
04:44me a fist bump and said, we got your back, and they literally have my back. I mean, it
04:47just, I was so, it was so welcoming. The fans were electric, you know, when I dropped my
04:53first dose, and they responded, you know, 20,000 strong, that's going to be even stronger.
04:58But it was just, I mean, it's, what a, what a time to be a part of the Heat organization.
05:03So can you tell us a little bit about, like, the, the journey to all this? Like, how did
05:07you, we all knew Mike was going to be stepping away after last season, but when did you throw
05:12your hat in the ring? And, and, and were you nervous? Like, did it take rounds of it? Like,
05:16how did you, how did the whole process go of you getting to this, to the seat?
05:20Well, the process started when I was a freshman in high school, and that may sound crazy, but
05:24I'll, I'll make sense of it. My high school principal, the late James E. Ray, Bowsyer High
05:29School in Toledo, Ohio, was a former NBA player. And I'm in my locker in high school, and when
05:35the principal walks out, six foot six, and says, Gale Nelson, report to the office, that's
05:40typically not a good thing. Tobin, you just, I saw your reaction. I'm a freshman. I wasn't
05:46a troublemaker, guys, I promise you. With a name like Gale Sayers, you, you, you have to
05:49do your business. So I walked to the office, and he gives me a microphone. And he says,
05:55you're going to do the sports announcements with me. I didn't sign up for that. And he
06:00welcomed me in. And that led to pep rallies, and doing all the kind of, all kinds of sports
06:05announcements, and just true mentorship. And the work that I do, as you all know, with
06:09Big Brother, Big Sisters Miami, it just, it just ties right in. But, but to your question,
06:15my microphone experience started there. I've done all kinds of public speaking, emceeing, and
06:19hosting. But to be given this opportunity, when I put my name in the hat, the process
06:25was, it was, it was all about heat culture. Simulated games, going down to the bowl, feeling
06:32like I'm on American Idol, because I didn't realize people were sitting up top, listening
06:36to me. And of course, that's part of the process, getting immediate feedback, and saying, okay,
06:40we'll see you next week. So I'm like, okay, I made the first cut. Then next week came, it
06:45was always Fridays at three o'clock. Boom. You're in the, you're in the, you know, the
06:50training, training gym, practice gym. So I'm doing in there. Then as we progressed, and
06:55I was like round five, I'm like, man, this is, I mean, when does it end? So I knew I
07:02was one of the finalists. And then here comes Spolt. And he's, yeah, that's what I said.
07:08I said, okay, hey, coach. He comes over, shakes my hand, said, I don't want to put any pressure
07:12on you, but good luck. And he goes over to his, in essence, coach's box, folds his arms.
07:17I got basketball ops, executives, marketing, sitting right across from me in the practice
07:22gym. And they said, you're going to call the simulated game, college players, Lakers against
07:26the heat. Okay. And here we go. Boom, boom, boom. Referee game, simulated game. I'm making
07:33my calls. And they're like, okay. They came and shook my hand and said, all right, thank you.
07:38And of course you have that, that anticipation. And then I think about maybe four days later,
07:43give or take, they said, we're talking to the voice, the heat and my goodness, that was,
07:50that was special. I would imagine Gail as a kid, right. With that voice, everybody came up to you
07:58and said, you're going to be an announcer of some sorts, right? Because everybody's not blessed
08:03with pipes like that. Well, when a Leroy, it depends on what, what, what, so as a freshman
08:09in high school, I did not sound like this, Leroy. The power of mentorship, fellas, is, you know,
08:19you see the potential. Right. I was a little squeakier as a freshman in high school, but to your
08:26point, my senior year, I was most likely to be DJ and most likely to be president of the United
08:32States.
08:33And so there you go.
08:37How did, uh, how did the whole process, sorry. Like you did some stuff at media day with the
08:42guys. How did you get in the process of like how you wanted to say your names? Did you workshop
08:45at all summer once you knew you got the gig? And did you, did you get any chance to like
08:50ask the
08:51guys, Hey, do you like that? Do you not like that? How does that all go?
08:53Well, Tobin, let me tell you something. This is a speeding train. And when we came up with the idea,
08:59you know, the Ravens did something like that. They had, you know, the players reported training camp.
09:03They had the announcement, like the driveway and all of that. So we liked that. And they said,
09:07you know what, what better way for the players to get to know the new PA announcer? Let's put you
09:11behind a curtain, you know, heat branded. Cause we're always branded heat branded a little studio,
09:17mini studio. And the players walked in thinking they're going to do the regular media day stuff.
09:23And then I'm like, you know, six foot nine from Kentucky, a center forward, bam at a bio.
09:32And bam's looking around cause they couldn't see me. They can only hear me. And then I walk over
09:38and introduce myself and Clay Thompson's like, man, that was good. Bam was like, cause I've known Bam for
09:45a little bit. He's like a man. And so it was so, and Tim Hardaway was, was so locked in
09:51with
09:52instructions. He didn't move. I'm like, did you hear me? He's like, yeah, you kind of scared me,
09:55but he kept his game face. So I was like, you scared me. So it was really cool. But one
10:01of the
10:01things fellas, it's so interesting. Every single player to the man was like, you need to, I need to
10:07be taller than that. I said, gentlemen, I'm only as good as my media guy. I ain't changing nothing.
10:13Come on now. Well, if you had KD, he would say, I need to be shorter. He's the only seven
10:22footer
10:22that ever played basketball that swears he's six 11. That is exactly right. What, uh, so when,
10:28when I'm going to ask you, was there somebody in particular, either personal or maybe somebody
10:33you didn't know that was like, man, that was unbelievable. That was cool that that person
10:37reached out or a cool moment. Like once this all happened and you knew this was going to happen,
10:41any, any just moments of a celebration with either family or friends, or even maybe somebody you
10:46weren't expecting that you're like, man, that's going to stick with me forever after getting this
10:50gig. Well, I mean, there's just so many, it's been so overwhelming, uh, in terms of it started with
10:55my mom and, you know, of course my wife and my kids, uh, my kids was bouncing off the wall.
11:00So it's deeply personal for me. You know, again, I talked about my dad, my parents divorced when I
11:04was two years old, so I didn't grow up with my dad. And so now to be the dad that
11:08I am and to
11:09see my kids embrace this, my mom who raised my more baby boy. And for her to say, my goodness,
11:15Gail Sayers, Nelson. I mean, to hear your mama say that it hits differently. And so the corporate
11:21partners that we have, our board of directors at big brothers, big sisters, Miami. I mean,
11:25everybody has been so welcoming and I get it. One of the things that I will always do
11:29is honor Mike B and the legacy, but I'm not Mike B I'm Gail Sayers, Nelson. So I'm going
11:34to, I'm nuancing things already. You know, again, mama didn't raise any fools. So dos
11:38minutos will always be there. And so when heat nation gets their tickets and they come out
11:43and support the team, uh, they will get to know Gail. They will. And then Tobin, when you,
11:48you, you taught, you tried it in the beginning, but when they come, when the team comes out,
11:52when team gets their ticket, when heat nation gets their tickets, they will hear something
11:55like, and now get on your feet. Let's meet your Miami heat.
12:04Do you use that voice with your kids? It depends on the situational leader, Leroy.
12:10Yeah. Get down from there. And then you use that voice like, well, see, I remember vividly,
12:17we were, we went up to the amusement park and all that Disney stuff in Orlando and my kids
12:22were younger and they were walking. I always told them sight and sound. I said, you, cause
12:26they were getting to the point where, you know, middle school age, they want to just go by themselves
12:31and I let them get as far. I said, let's see how far this voice will carry. And they're just
12:35walking, walking, walking. And I would always start with my Lieutenant, the oldest one, Gail,
12:39the second. And I just said, I'm walking. I said, Gail, they stopped, did an about face.
12:45And the lady said, how do you do that? I said, it's built in. Thank you. And I felt like,
12:52you know, I have used it. It works very well when you're not only with your kids, with my own
12:58kids,
12:59but it works very well when I have to address kids, our bigs and littles. So, oh yeah, it works
13:04very well. I use my superpowers for good. Yeah. I saw the, the, the moment you mentioned before
13:10about you and Mike hugging before the, uh, the event last night. Yeah. Did you, how much did you
13:15talk to him? I guess after getting the gig, did you get any advice from him? Talk through this whole
13:19thing with him? I mean, obviously you want to bring your own spin to it, but what was the, maybe
13:23something that stuck with you from Mike B about the gig? I want to think it's so important. See,
13:28I've known Mike B for a little while. We've had a partnership with the Miami heat for 20 years
13:32with big brothers, big sisters, Miami. But one of the things that was so cool is Mike. When I got
13:38deep in the process and certainly, uh, knowing him before I called him and I said, Mike, and he said,
13:44he was so kind. And he said, you be you, but Mike is supportive. He's kind. We talked last night.
13:51I'm calling this afternoon just to check in because he's a mentor and that's what it's all about.
13:56And you think about a team culture, when you've got people you can count on, you know,
14:00they're going to give you straight up feedback. That's what, who, who doesn't need that in life?
14:06How, uh, how just excited are you? Not only that you got this, but the season that's ahead,
14:10because obviously Spoh mentioned this and I talked about this last night on the pregame. I said,
14:14one thing that's cool about Gail being here is as much as we all love Mike B. And I know
14:19there was a
14:19lot of talk about, Hey, one last dance for Mike, but it is kind of cool. Cause Spoh mentioned a
14:23new chapter.
14:24And so it feels kind of appropriate that with Giannis here feeling like it's a new chapter,
14:28that there is a new voice in the arena that that makes that really cool too, that there's going to
14:32be a new narration to this, this next chapter of having Giannis and Bam and seeing whatever they do.
14:38So not only getting this, but doing it on the backdrop of, Hey, this is a big deal because the
14:43organization has a star like this playing for them this year. We're the hottest thing. It's always
14:50Caliente in Miami, but one of the things that's so important, I told Spoh post game, I mean,
14:53pregame, I went up to him and I said, Hey, I said, coach, I said, Hey, let's have a great
14:58season.
14:58I said, I'll be waiting on you at the Larry O'Brien. When I call you up to get the
15:03trophy and he,
15:04we just embraced. So it is an exciting time. What a time to be a part of heat nation. And
15:10if folks,
15:11if you can't embrace this team, I mean, we, this team is going to excite. We're going to bring it.
15:17And you saw just one of the preseason games already last night was an incredible show for a great
15:22cause, but you know, it's time. Let's go. I'm, I can't be more excited. Gentlemen.
15:28Can't wait to, uh, to hear Gail. Uh, you guys can see him and hear him tomorrow for the first
15:32time
15:32in front of a full house. Uh, you guys want to get your tickets heat.com slash preseason as the
15:38Pelicans are in town tomorrow for some preseason action and the wolves on Saturday. And then they
15:43got another game on the 14th. Don't miss it. And Gail Nelson, congratulations again on the gig.
15:47We're looking forward to your season ahead and we appreciate you giving us some time today.
15:51Tobin Leroy. Thank you. Gail Sayers Nelson was famously quoted as give me 18 inches of daylight.
15:56That's all I need. I'm 18 inches of daylight. Let's go.