PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The late John Facenda, a longtime Philadelphia TV and radio news anchor and iconic 18-year voice of NFL Films, will receive a special award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Facenda will posthumously receive the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for 2021.
"The voice of God" was how Hall of Fame NFL Films President Steve Sabol described Facenda.
His bass baritone voice first graced an NFL film during the year of the first Super Bowl, the 1966 season. That voice defined much of the NFL fan experience for parts of three decades, as pro football became America's most-followed sport.
He gave his voice to Cherry Hill-based NFL Films until the year he died, in 1984.
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But before his tenure there, Facenda was a television anchor in Philadelphia for a quarter of a century.
He was a news anchor at WCAU-TV (now NBC10) from 1948-73, and was with WIP (now Audacy station Sportsradio 94WIP) from 1937-52.
Facenda offered his voice to countless other films, including the Phillies' 1980 World Series Champions film.
1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series film
Facenda's son Jack will receive the award on August 6 during Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.