Voice of the Hokies Bill Roth Set to Leave His Longtime Post

Hokies legendary broadcaster Bill Roth is headed west, to UCLA.

Virginia Tech play-by-play announcer Bill Roth (left) and broadcasting partner, analyst, Mike Burnop (right). [@vtvoice]

"From the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the hills of Tennessee, the Virginia Tech Hokies are on the air!"

Bill Roth, the Voice of the Hokies, is slated to leave Blacksburg for Los Angeles, California. The Key Play can confirm David Teel's report. Virginia Tech has also confirmed Teel's report in a released statement.

"While we are certainly sad to see Bill depart from Virginia Tech, we are sincerely happy for him and his family for this new opportunity," Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said in a release. "Bill forever will be a Hokie, no matter where he works, and we thank him for his tremendous service, professionalism and friendship. He has been such a beloved part of the brand and the fabric of Virginia Tech. He will certainly be missed. We will honor Bill and his 27 years of service by creating an endowed scholarship in his name. Bill's final game will be this weekend's Spring Game, and we hope all fans in attendance at Lane Stadium will join us at 2 p.m., as we celebrate Bill and his career here."

Chris Roberts, the radio voice of the UCLA Bruins football and basketball teams, and four-time Golden Mike Award winner, called his last game on March 27—a 12-point UCLA basketball loss to Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen. Roth is in line to replace Roberts in Westwood. At this time it's unknown who will take over Roth's responsibilities in Virginia Tech's booth.

"This has been such an incredibly difficult and emotional decision to leave," Roth said in a release. "I love Virginia Tech ... our coaches, our staff, our athletes, and our amazing fans. We've been through so much together over these 27 years, and I owe a tremendous thanks to each of them for their support, and for listening and watching our programs over the years.

"Professionally, this is a phenomenal opportunity to work at another prestigious and championship-level program. I am honored and humbled to be chosen for the opportunity to represent UCLA and to work at the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion, two of the most historic venues in sports, while continuing my career at IMG.

"Also, I am extremely excited about the challenge to work in the nation's second-largest media market and to live in a true global city, Los Angeles. Personally, I have a dozen family members who live within an hour of Pauley Pavilion. I'm eager to see them on a consistent basis. Being close to my family was a major part of this decision."

Roth spent 27 seasons as the lead play-by-play broadcaster for Virginia Tech's football and basketball teams. He also hosted Virginia Tech Sports Today, the Sunday morning television magazine show that airs on television stations and cable networks throughout the mid-Atlantic and southeast.

Roth was a 2013 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee. He has also been honored as Virginia's Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association 11 times.

North Carolina-based IMG College holds the syndicated broadcast rights of both Virginia Tech and UCLA. According to a report by The Los Angeles Daily News, UCLA wanted to make its hire by its April 25 spring football game, but Roth was not among the Daily News' candidates mentioned.

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-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

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Take the shortest route to the ball and arrive in bad humor.

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-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

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