43 Years: Mike Gorman Personified Perfection
1981 was a fresh start for the Celtics. A Navy Veteran from Dorchester had been named the new voice for one of the most iconic franchises in sports. The mystique and legacy still permeates from the rafters where champions are immortalized. To name a few:
Parish
Walter
Red
DJ
KG
Russell
JoJo
Cous
Tommy
Hondo
Sam
KC
Max
McHale
Bird
The Truth
The one legend who has outlasted them all is Mike Gorman.
What started with notes being torn up and tossed over the balcony of the old Boston Garden turned into a voice that some don’t know a time without, and a style others can only wish of replicating. Swagger, aura, professionalism, and class. That is how you describe an icon, and that is exactly what Mike Gorman is to us.
Humble enough to be most proud of being part of the broadcasting tandem of Mike and Tommy, and his newest title of grandpa. Forget the Big East thrillers on ESPN, the Olympics, the Emmys, and the Hall of Fame. Mike Gorman is the local guy that made it big.
He’s just like us. A normal everyday down to earth New Englander who just wants to see banner 18 join the already crowded row of banners in green and white, and black and gold. He’s been the soundtrack of the ups, the downs, and everything in between. From stolen by Bird and the pass to DJ, right in Arrington’s face, and every Tommy Point and “got it!” manifested by big shots, he was right there with us every step of the way.
Broadcasters around the league know the standard he set. They may borrow or steal from it, but there is no replication. There is only and will only be one Mike Gorman. He tells you what you need to know. He talks about what he sees. That’s all we need. In a world full of stats and data that Dick Lipe always provides, the live betting odds that nobody understands, and the “cool and quirky” broadcasters that try to show him up with fancy terms and corny slang. He didn’t need that. The most important thing was what we were all watching with Mike as the narrator, and only he was able to deliver it in the best way. His way. Straight to the point while letting it breathe and more often than not, letting the game speak for itself.
With the first round officially over, so also is his time with us. It’s never going to be the same. We know and understand that, but it doesn’t hurt any less. Good things coming to an end never resonated more when Tommy had to step away, and Mike did one hell of a job holding down the fort. Our last living memory from an amazing tenure. What more can we say other than is was perfect. But now the time has come to take off the headset, put down the microphone, and hold that granddaughter - and how lucky she is to have such an amazing figure in her life.
A legend who outlasted them all, the unconquerable Mike Gorman.