Inductee Profile

Marc Zumoff

shof-2011-Marc_Zumoff

On August 17, 1994 at precisely 1:34 pm, Marc Zumoff received the phone call he had been waiting for most of his life. That was when he learned he was being named the television voice of the Philadelphia 76ers, the job he had dreamed of since he was a youngster growing up in Northeast Philadelphia.

Since then, he has been honored eleven times with Emmy Awards for best play-by-play announcer. Among his other honors, Zumoff won the Lew Klein Award from his alma mater, Temple University; and he is a member of its School of Communications and Theater Hall of Fame. During his undergraduate days he announced both Owl football and basketball games.

Zumoff estimates he’s been live on the air more than 5,000 times. He’s been a radio news anchor and a reporter. As a play-by-play announcer, he has covered basketball, Flyers Hockey, college football, pro lacrosse, pro cycling, horse jumping and crew.

Zumoff broke into broadcasting in Trenton, NJ in 1977. He spent the first five years of his broadcasting life working as a radio newsman there as well as for KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia. A big break came in 1980 when he passed a one-game audition and was named the television play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Fever indoor soccer team. His color announcer for that audition was the late, great Phillies voice Harry Kalas. After the soccer team folded in 1982, the now defunct PRISM Sports Network hired him to anchor its pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage of the Sixers. Zumoff held the post for some 12 years until that long anticipated phone call that fulfilled his dream.

Having just completed his 17th season as the TV voice of the Sixers, Zumoff also works on a number of charitable endeavors, including an annual golf tournament run by the team and the Comcast-Spectacor Foundation. He also has a business helping young people to develop their careers as broadcast performers.

Zumoff resides in suburban Philadelphia with his wife Debbie and their two sons Jake and Pace.