Contributed by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images
Even though his family moved away from Cary more than 40 years ago, Wes Durham still remembers the street address of his childhood home.
“We lived at 104 Castlewood Drive in Churchill Downs subdivision near the intersection of Kildaire Farm Road and Cary Parkway,” he recalls with meticulous detail during a recent conversation on Zoom. “My parents bought the house in 1977 for $75,000.”
Precision is important to Durham, who will turn 59 on January 25. It’s easy to understand why, especially since his profession as a play-by-play sports commentator for ESPN and the ACC Network calls for him to provide accurate information every time he covers a football or basketball game.
The son of the late broadcast legend Woody Durham, the voice of the UNC Tar Heels for some four decades, Wes fondly remembers growing up in the “small town” of Cary when it was home to less than 15,000 residents.
Nowadays he lives in Cartersville, Georgia, within driving distance of his 21-year gig as the radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons NFL football team.
Durham took time away from his busy schedule to sit down and talk with us.
Wes Durham and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips on the set of Packer and Durham for ACC Football Kickoff in 2021. Contributed by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images
You’re originally from Cary. Did you attend Cary High School?
No, I went to Apex High School. My dad worked at WPTF-TV, which at the time was the local NBC affiliate. In 1981, he took the job with Tar Heel Sports Network, but he promised me we wouldn’t move to Chapel Hill until I finished high school. I’m grateful he kept that promise.
There’s an intriguing fact online about how you once worked as a DJ at a local roller-skating rink. What’s the backstory on that?
That story never goes away. In the spring of 1984, I worked at Sportsworld on Buck Jones Road. It was during my senior year of high school, and at the time I thought I was going to do something with music and radio. A guy named Jerry Rose was the manager, and he asked if I wanted to DJ several nights a week. I thought it was an unbelievable opportunity, but I only worked there about 100 days because when I finished high school, my family moved to Chapel Hill. Thank God there are no pictures documenting it, but I really was a roller rink DJ!
How did you end up getting into play-by-play commentating?
I worked two summers as an intern at WRAL-FM when I was in high school. I also was fortunate and blessed to be exposed to the broadcasting industry through my dad. My time at Elon was valuable as well.
When I graduated from college, my dad urged me to send audio tapes of my voice to other people for evaluation. One of the guys I reached out to was (the late) Jeff Charles at East Carolina. He was a major figure in helping me to get my career started. I’ve also had the privilege of developing good friendships with veteran commentators like Johnny Holliday at Maryland and Don Fischer at Indiana. These guys enjoy the craft and know how to tell a great story and document the game well.
Wes Durham and Mark Packer on the set of Packer and Durham in 2019. Contributed by Bob Leverone / ESPN Images
How many hours a week do you spend in preparation leading up to calling games?
Proper preparation is essential. For me, the NFL game prep is a probably a 12- to 14-hour investment. When it comes to the college games, when you factor in production calls and meetings, the time investment can be upwards of 18 hours. Then you factor in travel time and the games. If you start counting all the hours involved each week, you can drive yourself crazy.
So how did you land the gig as the voice of the Atlanta Falcons?
It happened within about 72 hours in the summer of 2004. I had been in Apex for my 20th high school reunion, and I was driving when I got a phone call and was told the radio announcer from the Falcons was leaving to take a television job in Tampa. I was asked if I would be interested in applying for the Falcons job. At that point, I was working full time for Georgia Tech, but I had done some Falcons preseason games on the radio.
Photo by Jonathan Fredin
College:
Elon University, bachelor’s in Mass Communication (1988)
Professional highlights:
Radio voice of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football and basketball (1995–2013)
Current radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons
Current play-by-play commenter for ESPN and ACC Network
Accolades:
Inducted into Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2015
11-time winner of Georgia Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association
Current board chair of the National Sports Media Association
Personal:
Married to Vicky Newman Durham since 2007
Hobbies:
Traveling, golf
One thing led to another, and now I have been covering the Falcons more than 20 years. All along the way, the Falcons organization has been really supportive. Former Falcons quarterback David Archer has worked alongside me the whole time, which has been great.
Whenever you are calling a game, how difficult is it to maintain your level of enthusiasm and intensity?
You never know who is going to make a play that changes the game, so you have to stay on the edge of your seat the whole time. Games are not scripted. That means you are genuinely excited whenever things happen.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in any given week?
Time management. My wife is mindful of our calendar and what we have on the schedule outside of work. I’m a bit of a prisoner to the calendar from mid-August through mid-March, but that’s okay. I’m fortunate to do this for a living and love doing it, so that’s one of the concessions you have to make.
Looking back on the time you had with your father over the years, what stands out?
My dad and I share this in common: We both grew up in small towns in North Carolina. He grew up in Albemarle, and I grew up in Cary. There were all races, all creeds, all demographics. For both of us, the people we interacted with and befriended had special places in our hearts.
When it came to his work, my dad was always prepared for each game before it ever started. His inspiration to me professionally comes through preparation. I think about this every time I go on the air. It wasn’t just Woody Durham, the voice of the Tar Heels. It was Woody Durham, who was giving a master’s class in broadcast preparation.
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