Al McCoy's first job in radio was at KJFJ in Webster City, Iowa. He later worked for three years at WHO in Des Moines, and was still a frequent guest on "Two Guys Named Jim"—a sports-talk show on WHO. Prior to joining the Suns on September 27, 1972, McCoy was the broadcaster for the Triple-A Phoenix Giants baseball club and "One of the Good Guys," a DJ on KRUX1360 AM. McCoy was also the weekend television play-by-play man for the Arizona Diamondbacks during the club's first season in 1998. He worked with Joe Garagiola throughout that season.
Catchphrases
His famous phrases include "Shazam!" every time a player makes a 3-point shot and "Oh Brother!" and "Heartbreak Hotel!" whenever a player narrowly misses a shot or the Suns lose a very close game. Shazam! in particular was from a comic book series that McCoy enjoyed reading. Other catch phrases include "Wham Bam Slam!" or "Whammo!" when a player slams the ball and "Zing go the strings" or "Swish-a-roo for two" when they swish a shot. He also has nicknames for individual players such as The Nash Rambler for Steve Nash, Captain Kidd for former Suns captain Jason Kidd and the Matrix for former Suns player Shawn Marion.
Awards
In 2006, Phoenix Magazine named McCoy the best play-by-play announcer in their annual "Best of the Valley" issue. The Suns paid tribute to McCoy on March 2, 2007, distributing talking bobbleheads to fans at US Airways Center and renaming the Suns' press room the Al McCoy Media Center. McCoy received the 2007 Curt Gowdy Media Award during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameFamily Reunion Dinner in Springfield, Massachusetts. Al is a 2009 inductee of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. In 2015, McCoy was inducted into the Iowa Hall of Pride for his achievements as an announcer in the NBA. On October 26, 2016, Suns owner Robert Sarver announced that Al McCoy would be inducted as the 15th member of the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor on March 3, 2017 during halftime of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That evening, the Suns won 118–111 over the Thunder, despite Russell Westbrook almost posting his 31st triple-double of the 2016–17 NBA season with 48 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists that night. The Suns dedicated their performance to McCoy at the game, which included special messages to Al from former Suns Steve Nash and Jason Kidd during timeouts, and a halftime honor from the vast majority of fellow Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor members. McCoy remarked during his halftime induction that "If you'll keep accepting me, and God keeps smiling on me, I'm just going to keep going."
