All Episodes

September 10, 2024 • 11 mins
Andy Garcia, play-by-play voice for Northern Illinois football, joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about their massive upset win at Notre Dame last week, how he prepared for his final call, the program making the top 25, and the 2024 season ahead.
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's lining it up.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Five seconds left.

Speaker 3 (00:02):
Then I you up sixteen fourteen sixty two yorder snap
hoole Jeeters kicking this fuck.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
It's fucked. Its fucked big up by you pick up,
bye you. The Huskies has done it. The Huskies with
the biggest upset n IU history. They come to South
in Indiana and.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
They knock off the number five team in the country,
n i U sixteen, Notre Dame fourteen. The football gods,
we're shining down on the n IUDA, the voice.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Of NIU football.

Speaker 4 (00:40):
They're ain't a soul in sports talk radio in this
country that hasn't heard that clip from Saturday afternoon in
South Bend, Indiana.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Put your hands together for the voice.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
Let's go on the Huskies our buddy Andy Garcia, how
about that?

Speaker 1 (00:55):
How about that?

Speaker 5 (00:56):
Huh guys, it's great to be with you man, Thanks
for having me on.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I wanted that to be.

Speaker 5 (01:01):
It doesn't get old. That doesn't get old. I just
keep it on loop. You know.

Speaker 4 (01:06):
Well, you know what, I'm surprised you haven't made that
the ringtone for your cell phone yet.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
To be totally honest with you, but.

Speaker 4 (01:12):
Honestly, yet, I wanted I wanted that to be the
first thing that you heard. Man, when you hear that call,
tell me about what that means to you. Tell me
about what it means to the NIU family when you
hear that call, because that call will be played forever.

Speaker 6 (01:27):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:27):
I'll start with NIU. I mean, we've gotten some wins,
like we've been to the Orange Bowl right Northwestern Georgia Tech,
Boston College last year. But to get a win at
Notre Dame, a tradition like that, and to go to
Notre Dame Stadium and get a win, Man, you can't
put a price on what that does, not just for
the athletics and football, but for the school itself, university,
and for me. Man. I wanted to do this since

(01:49):
I was a little kid, since I was six years old.
I was talking to Cassette in my big yellow boombox. Man,
that thing was good too, head down on my shoulder.
To be able to have an opportunity, not just to
be the voice of then IU, to have a voice
to call something like that, Man, I was. I was
so glad. I woke up Sunday morning and it wasn't
a dream because I was so scared. It was a dream.
What wasn't a dream and it was reality. It was

(02:09):
so much fun.

Speaker 6 (02:10):
Well, and he is a great call. You'll have it forever.
Husky fans will have it forever. And you're definitely our vintage.
When you're talking about talking into a cassette cassette tape,
you are. You were definitely softy in my vintage, no
question about it. But you know, the coach talked about
how he didn't need luck to happen in that game
for you to win. He just needed you guys to
play clean football. He really truly believed all week? Was

(02:34):
that the sense of Husky Nation? Was that your sense
that you truly believed or did.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
You think this was?

Speaker 6 (02:40):
I mean, man, everything's got to break our way or
we've got no shot.

Speaker 5 (02:44):
Yeah, I mean it's start like when you're out of
practice last week, and you know, he gets everybody together
and he's pretty straightforward. He's what you saw on TV exactly, Thomas.
He's going to tell you straight up. And he said, guys,
we're gonna go in there and win. And he said,
we don't need luck. We need to go play what
we can play and things will have up in our
way and we can win it. And I was like,
you know me, I'm like, okay, yeah, that sounds great, coach. Uh,

(03:05):
you know, you know, hopefully we can play well, you know,
hopefully we can get in there. But I think with
thirty two seniors and a veteran squad that's gone through
a lot, and it's a team that's been together for
a while, right, they've gone to ups and downs for
them to stay together. I think by Saturday morning, I
felt like, you know, if we can just get out
early to nice, just something. It didn't go well. They
got out seven to nothing. They scored in the first

(03:26):
drive and then they like the first right, the next kickoff,
it bounces at the two, it doesn't go on the ends,
and we start to drive at the two. I'm thinking,
oh my gosh, here we go. But then we're able
to get a quick touchdown eighty three yard or to
Ontario Brown and things go your way. Right. We had
the defensive line for and I he's very good, and
they really I thought. I thought NIU the last fifty
minutes was the better team, playing and simple. They were

(03:48):
the better team, and I think we showed it. By halftime.
I had written down a couple of things I wanted
to say. I thought about it. You know, people are always
asking you during the week, Andy, what are you gonna
say if it happens, And by the start of the
fourth and getting into the game like this could really happen.
And Thomas said it all week like this is gonna happen.
We're gonna win. And I'm thinking, no, Thomas, okay if

(04:08):
you think so. But man, the team really, you know,
really stayed with it. And like I said, he that's Thomas.
Like I love talking to him about football, but guys,
I talked him about my dating life. I mean, he's
right there with me. We swiped left right. He shows
you know, he takes some girls out of it. I'm
trying to date, you know, as a as a father,
you know. So he's great off the field, he's great

(04:29):
on the field, and I'm so glad people got to
see him the way he was because that's who Thomas is.
And yes, he leads Husky blood that he is. I'm
a modern that's him and it was great to see
it on Triday.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
Well, you know, Andy, it works out for me and
Dick as both of us are Husky fans too. Just
the team here ectly. I like that yeah, in Washington.
But Andy Garcia is the voice of NIU football. We've
known Andy for what twenty twenty five years with his
work with Westwood One. And it's so funny that you
brought up kind of thinking about what you were gonna say,

(04:59):
because I was gonna ask you before the game. I mean,
you're a twenty eight and a half point Doug. You're
probably not thinking in your brain, I need to be
ready in case we win. So halftime you're thinking, all right,
I gotta have a call ready. I mean the all
like sports guns are smiling on NIU, where you're writing
this stuff down, where you're rehearsed again in the press box,
tell me you were.

Speaker 5 (05:19):
So people were I was practicing a little bit, you know,
people come up to you the three game in the
press box or eating a chili dog, like, Hey, what
are you gonna say? What? What do you got for this?
I'm like, I got a couple of things. I wanted
to say, something like touchdown Jesus something like that, but
I wanted to be very careful. I wanted to make sure.
So I went with football gods, and I thought everybody
got it. And I think that's why it fit and yeah,

(05:40):
I got a little screamy. I got a little screamy.
But that's local, right, Like, that's it's pure enjoyment. Man.
I've been around this program for a long time and
for able to have that type of opportunity. It came
out the way I wanted it to. I was, it
was pumped, and yes I did had a couple of
things written down. I had some other things to touch
down Jesus, but I went the safe route and went
with the football gap.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
Well, look, it was a great call, and I'm glad
that you got screamy because I think play by play
needs more of that. There's too many cookie cutters out
there in the broadcasting business. You know, Dick does the
play by play for the Storm and he's great at it,
and you're great at your job. And it's unique. I mean,
you know, homers are not necessarily apologists. I mean you
get excited when they win and you get pissed off

(06:21):
and angry when they lose.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
So how many people have you talked to?

Speaker 4 (06:24):
Honestly, I know we're not the first sports talk radio
show to call you, pal.

Speaker 5 (06:29):
No, I've been around. I mean I started in Orlando
because that's where I interned, done in Orlando, and Orlando,
Saint Louis, Dayton, California. You, I've got a couple more
coming up. But you know what, I'm just I'm just
happy to be able to do it. Man. I love
doing broadcasts. I love doing like sports is the best
soap opera. You never know what's going to happen. No
one knew what's going to happen on Saturday. For an

(06:50):
opportunity for me and I you to be in the
spotlight forever long. This is I'm riding the wave. Man.
We don't even play this week, thank goodness, because we
continue to ride that wave and we're number twenty five
in the nation right now, right, we'll live it up, right.
We got another game coming up in the twenty first.
But no, just to be who I am on the air.
I'm not going to have the deep voice. I'm not.

(07:10):
I'm who I am. It's who I will always be,
and I'm always going to bring the joy in the passion.
I'm always going to be excited on the air and
I'm never going to be apologetic for it because that's
who I am. I'm a fan of this program and
I was just a fan on the radio, that got
a great call playing.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Simple and and you mentioned the top twenty five.

Speaker 6 (07:26):
Well, now it's like delusions of grandeur, right, I mean,
now we've got a twelve team playoff and you've already
gotten your big.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
Time non conference win.

Speaker 6 (07:36):
You guys win that MAC and you're probably in at
this point. So what are the chances to if not
run the table in the conference, maybe maybe go with
one loss?

Speaker 5 (07:47):
Yeah, I mean we've got we've start next. Our next
game is on the twenty first, taken on Buffalo. It's
a conference game, and then we've got one more non
com we go to NC State, So that's another one
that's a little interesting, Like you know, they got blown
out with what Tennessee, but I'm interested what happens when
we go to Raleigh. But yes, then we're not the
hunter anymore. We're the hunted in the MAC. Right. Everyone
wants to get take our best and they want to

(08:08):
come in and play. So I'm excited two and zero
who knew? Right? And you go on, you get another
bye week here, you get ready, get healed up just
a bit, and you get take to the I mean,
you can't have much more momentum going into anything. When
you beat Notre Dame number five in the country. Come on,
if you can't keep moving forward with it, then and
know who you are. And I think coach Hammick's gonna
have him in a good spot. I know in tomorrow's

(08:30):
practice they go back, they're gonna work them hard. They'll
get him back off. We'll knock off all this. Hey,
you're so good, You're so good. Not so ready to
go back to work because they still have ten more
games still early in the season.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
How far is the Calb from South Bend by the way?

Speaker 5 (08:44):
One hundred and sixty miles, okay, so but a little
bit lessen you know, I drive eighty I can go
pretty fast, so I can do it in two hours.
I know a little just outside Chicago. I'm about an
hour from the Calb, so I'm closer to the city.
But I was bombarded. I had over two hundred text
when I got to the car, and just I tried

(09:04):
to get back to as many people as I can
and got to hear from people like Kevin Harlan, who's
just you know, for him to reach out to me
and goes, Andy, you did our profession, proud, great call.
I mean it doesn't get any better than that. And
then I got a text from from you, Softie. I mean,
then I started to cry. I'm like, hey, i'mas I'm
like Thomas Hammock on the side and I'm crying. I
don't know what to do. But no, I heard from

(09:25):
so many great people and no it was I'm just
so glad it went the right way.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
Well, Kevin's on the show with us tomorrow, as you know,
he does a weekly visit with us. Yeah, and I'm
going to ask him tomorrow to break down your call,
all right, so I'll get the great we'll get the
reaction from Kevin, who you know very well, and I'll
shoot it off to you.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Man.

Speaker 4 (09:45):
But what a what a moment for you, What a
memory to have for you for the rest of your life,
for that university twenty five thirty years from now, when
they're packing him in in the stadium, they'll play that
clip on the jumbo tron with your voice and people
will ask, who the hell's that, dad, and they'll say,
that's Andy Garcia. He was our guy and we went
to Notre Dame and beat the Irish. Hey, great stuff, man,

(10:08):
one more time before you leave, hang on don't go
one more time.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
All right, here we go, hang on just a second.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
Sixteen fourteen sixty two, yorder snap hole.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Jeters kick this fucked. It's fucked.

Speaker 5 (10:21):
It's fucked.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Big up you, big up by the Huskies has done it.
The Huskies put the biggest upset and IU this story.
They come to south in Indiana.

Speaker 3 (10:33):
And they knock off the number five team in the country,
n i U sixteen, Notre Dame fourteen, the football gods,
we're shining down.

Speaker 4 (10:43):
Oh then I you make it the ring tone on
your cell phone. Now, all right, do it.

Speaker 5 (10:48):
I'll text you. I'll text you when I go through puberty.
I'll tell you.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
All right, and good job, congrats buddy.

Speaker 5 (10:56):
Thanks man, all right, man, you bet.

Speaker 4 (10:57):
Andy Garcia, the voice of NIU foot, Well, how freaking
cool is that?

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Oh man, it's it's the best.

Speaker 6 (11:03):
I mean, it's the best when you get an opportunity,
I mean, because you don't have any control over what
the players are doing.

Speaker 1 (11:09):
Right, and so you just hope for that opportunity.

Speaker 6 (11:13):
And you know, I think I think the Storm for
giving me many of those championship opportunities, because you know,
a lot of people go through a whole career play by.

Speaker 1 (11:21):
Play and never get to win a championship, no question.

Speaker 4 (11:24):
Well, good for him, he deserves it. He's a fabulous
guy and we will definitely ask Carlin about that tomorrow
when he pops out. We're gonna break a lot. More
to come on a busy Tuesday right here on ninety
three three KJRFM.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.