"Voice of the Maryland Terrapins" Johnny Holliday was named a National Sports Media Association finalist for the 2023 Maryland Sportscaster of the Year award on Wednesday.
Holliday, who also earned the honor in 2014, 2018 and 2020, is in his 45th season as the beloved play-by-play voice of the University of Maryland's football and men's basketball teams.
Holliday is Washington's most versatile broadcaster. For more than 50 years his face and voice have been one of the most familiar in all of Washington and Baltimore Radio and Television with hundreds of commercials and narrations to his credit. Now in his 45th year as play by play voice of the University of Maryland, Johnny has broadcast more than 1,600 Terps football and basketball games, including 16 bowl games, 12 sweet sixteens, 2 final fours and Maryland's national championship win over Indiana in 2002.
The Miami native began his radio career as a disc jockey, working in top markets such as New York, Cleveland and San Francisco and being named America's No. 1 DJ. He also served as the public address announcer for the Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco Warriors and Washington Bullets.
Moving to Washington in 1969, Holliday hosted the Washington Senators pregame show with Ted Williams while covering all of the D.C.-area teams. In 1979, he began broadcasting Maryland football and basketball games, and at age 83, he has now called more than 1,800 Terps games.
Holliday also spent 12 years as a television pregame/postgame host and occasional fill-in play-by-play announcer for the Washington Nationals on MASN. In March 2019, he added the role of sportscaster at NBC Washington (WRC-TV).
Among Holliday's many other awards and honors are:
- Induction into the Washington, D.C. Sports Hall of Fame
- Induction into the Radio Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame
- Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame
- Skeeter Francis Award for contributions to coverage of the Atlantic Coast Conference
- CYO's Cardinal Hickey National Figure of the Year
- Named one of Dick Vitale's Top 15 play-by-play announcers in the country
- American Diabetes Foundation Father of the Year
- Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award by the National Sports Media Association
In addition, Holliday has hosted a charity golf tournament for nearly 20 years that has raised more than $1.5 million to send students to a five-week, character-building camp each summer.
Holliday has been married to his wife, Mary Clare, for more than 60 years. They have three daughters and 11 grandchildren.
