Joe Tait, beloved voice of the Cavaliers, passes away at 83
He was not on the list.
Joe Tait, the most beloved radio announcer in the history of the Cavaliers, passed away on March 10.
Tait was 83. He had been in declining health in recent years and had been battling liver cancer for four years. He also suffered from kidney failure.
No one old enough to remember the Cavaliers playing at the Coliseum in Richfield can think of the Cavaliers without recalling Tait’s vivid play-by-play. He belonged behind a radio microphone, because with Joe painting the picture, no one needed a television.
Tait called games for 39 years, starting with the final 74 games in the inaugural 1970-71 when the Cavaliers played at Cleveland Arena. He was not the Cavaliers first announcer, but eight games into the first season he impressed Coach Bill Fitch and team owner Nick Mileti in an audition and was hired immediately for $100 a game — a princely sum for someone getting his dream job at age 33 more than 50 years ago.
“Wham with the right hand!” was one of Tait’s signature calls. Countless street players or high school players would imitate that call and let their imagination soar along with their feet when they would dunk. The gym could be nearly empty, but in their minds they would hear the roar of the crowd in one ear and Tait’s call in the other.
Tait was special because he was honest. He was not a homer. He praised the Cavaliers when they deserved praise and he criticized them, without personal attacks, when they deserved criticism.
Wherever the game was being played, Tait would begin his broadcast with, “It’s basketball time at … ” and then he would name the arena, just as Tom Hamilton, after the first pitch of a game at Progressive Field, will say, “We’re underway at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.”
Tait called his last game for the Cavaliers on April 13, 2011. He was there for more than 3,100 Cavaliers games, minus two years when Ted Stepien owned the Cavaliers from 1981-83, and he did them by himself without an analyst in a chair beside him.
“Sights it, shoots it … got it!” Tait would say when Austin Carr, Campy Russell, Mark Price, Lebron James — pick any era — would make a crucial free throw in crunch time.
Tait broadcasted Indians games with a partner for 15 seasons, both radio and television, but he is best remembered for his time with the Cavaliers. He was the play-by-play man for James’ first tour with the Cavaliers, but he retired from broadcasting five seasons before James led the Cavs to their only NBA title in 2016.
"A friend and mentor to many over the years, Joe Tait wasn’t just a member of the Cavaliers family; he was a part of the Cavs story like no one else," a partial statement issued by the Cavaliers said. "His voice and unique, candid perspective reverberates throughout the team’s history. He will be dearly missed."
The sweaters Tait always wore somehow were symbolic of the comfort and trust fans felt listening to him. Ten years since his last game, the section of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse from which the radio crews broadcast basketball and hockey games is still known as “The Joe Tait Perch.” That will never change as long as the building exists.
Banners commemorating the retired jersey numbers worn by seven of the greatest Cavaliers — Austin Carr (34), Nate Thurmond (42), Larry Nance (22), Mark Price (25), Bingo Smith (7) Brad Daugherty (43) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) — hang from the FieldHouse rafters. Right there with them is a banner reading: 39 seasons Joe Tait “Voice of the Cavaliers.”
Tait made his home in Lafayette Township near Medina and stayed there when his broadcast days ended.
Tait won numerous prestigious awards during his career. He was inducted into the Ohio Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1992 and in 2010 received the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Those awards never affected Tait’s humility. And, so, the best way to end this recollection of what he was to the countless fans who listened to him over five decades is to remember how he ended every Cavaliers’ broadcast, win or lose:
“This is Joe Tait. Have a good night, everybody!”
After the Army, Tait bounced around, spending time in Decatur, Illinois. From 1966 to 1968 he was the official voice of the Ohio Bobcats, served as sports director for WOUB, and taught sportscasting at the Athens institution. He next served as the network voice of Indiana University football, and was the pre-game host for the Indiana Pacers in 1969, in addition to being the station manager and morning host at WBOW (1230 AM) in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In 1970, Tait began his longtime association with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were in their first year of existence. The games were broadcast on WERE for the first two years. After then-owner Nick Mileti, who also owned the Cleveland Indians, bought Cleveland's most powerful radio station, WWWE (now WTAM) in 1972, he moved both teams' radio broadcasts to WWWE. Tait was the radio announcer for the Indians from 1973 through 1979 along with Herb Score, and their TV announcer with a variety of partners from 1980 through 1987. However, prior to the 1980-1981 season, new controversial Cavs' team owner Ted Stepien had a disagreement with WWWE. Consequently, the station gave the broadcasting rights back to Stepien, and Tait was released from his job as a result. Yet, many Cleveland fans mistakenly believe that Tait was fired by Stepien, organizing a "Joe Tait Night" during the final home game of the season. The game had the highest attendance of any game in the prior four seasons, and during the game, fans led chants of "Let's go, Joe. Ted must go."
In the interim, Tait was the radio announcer for the New Jersey Nets for the 1981-1982 season. The following year, he switched to television, calling play-by-play Chicago Bulls games on SportsVision, the team's cable-TV station. He also broadcast the CBS Radio College Game-of-the-Week. When new owners Gordon and George Gund III bought the team, Tait returned to the Cavaliers for the 1983-1984 season, and remained until his retirement in 2011. In 1987, he was named vice president of broadcast services, a job that he held until his retirement.
Tait's final game was the April 13, 2011 contest between the Cavaliers and Washington Wizards. The Cavaliers sent Tait out as a winner, defeating Washington 100-93. From 1997 to 2004, Tait also served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Cleveland Rockers.
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