Johnny Holliday never met Maryland Gov. Wes Moore before he took office. But the Maryland athletics play-by-play announcer worked with Moore’s father, Westley Moore, as a television anchor in the 1970s. The two were so close that Holliday sang at Westley Moore’s funeral in 1982.
40 years later, Holliday finally met his friend’s son. Under Armour founder Kevin Plank didn’t know their history when he introduced the two at a Maryland basketball game two seasons ago. A poignant interaction ensued.
“Wes, do you know Johnny Holliday?” Plank asked.
Moore, with tears in his eyes, embraced Holliday.
“My mother told me what you did for my dad … You know what that meant to my family?” Holliday remembered Moore saying.
That exchange encapsulated Holliday’s persona. His 45 years as “The Voice of the Terps” has made him an icon among Maryland sports fans, but his impact reaches further.
He survived a plane crash, raised three daughters and called Maryland basketball’s national championship in 2002. Holliday is one of Maryland’s most renowned figures. The 86-year-old said he was offered a job in the athletic department after he retires.
“He’s just a legend,” Steve Suter, Holliday’s broadcasting partner said. “Whoever has to step into those shoes is gonna have big shoes to fill.”
Holliday grew up in Miami and was a prolific three-sport athlete.
But his childhood wasn’t easy. His family had little money and his father was an alcoholic.
Johnny used performance arts as an outlet. The former theater singer loved music, and found his first radio job in Georgia. His popularity skyrocketed when he moved to San Francisco, where he was named America’s top disc jockey.
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But a creative itch rests inside Holliday. Shuffling music on the airwaves became mundane.
Holliday asked former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell if he could work as a public announcer. Modell already hired someone, but after Holliday announced one game, the job was his.
“I knew eventually, if I had the chance, that I could be just as good as the people I was hearing on the air,” Holliday said.
He retired from working in music in 1977 to focus on sports. He worked with nine professional sports teams before settling in the Washington, D.C., area.
The announcer hosted weekly sports shows covering Maryland professional and collegiate sport teams.
“I did not know it was his voice on some of those famous calls in that [Nationals] 2019 World Series run,” Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. said. “We do a good amount of talking outside of here, more than probably a typical football player and radio host guy do.”
Despite calling countless historic games, some of Holliday’s most resounding memories surround Maryland’s biggest tragedies.
After Maryland basketball player Len Bias’ tragic death in 1986, Bias’ mother, Lonise, asked Holliday to sing at Bias’ funeral.
“I said, Mrs. Bias, I don’t think I could do that,” Holliday recalled. “[But] I got through the song without looking down. I just closed everything off.”
When Lonise and Holliday’s eyes met, she blew him a kiss. He felt the gravity of his work for the school he loved.
It’s difficult to tell a story about Maryland athletics without mentioning Holliday.
Some of its most prominent figures — Michael Locksley, Gary Williams, Ralph Friedgen and Walt Williams — all praise Holliday.
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“When you listen to a Maryland basketball game on the radio, they know who Johnny Holiday is,” Williams said. “You’re always looking for an advantage with your program, a reason why you can be as good as [North] Carolina or Duke … the announcer is part of that.”
Holliday calls games with a large personality, which he maintains in his interactions with Maryland fans. He said his favorite moments are when people approach him to say they’ve listened to him for years, or how he gave their family tickets to a game.
He’s personified this friendliness since his career began.
Holliday and his daughter were flying back from delivering hurricane relief supplies to a 90-year-old impoverished woman he interviewed in 1975 when his plane crashed in Clinton, Maryland.
He spent 29 days in the hospital recovering from significant damage to his back and liver, but returned to work just a few months later.
Holliday’s commitment to the job has lasted. His note sheet is deliberately color coded and filled with scribbled memos. Suter thinks Holliday’s age isn’t noticeable during their conversations.
“It’s remarkable how sharp he still is,” Suter said.
Holliday now hosts a weekly radio show with Maryland football coach Michael Locksley, sparking a close friendship.
Locksley remembers listening to Holliday as a kid when he would sneak into Terps football games. Now, he answers his questions every Thursday night.
“To listen to him, and now be sitting next to him, sometimes I pinch myself,” Locksley said. “And I’m being real, because this guy embodies what Maryland is about.”
