Johnny Holliday

Did You Know?

• In 1963, Browns owner Art Modell told Holliday to refer to the Dallas Cowboys only as the 'Cowboys' during a game two days after JFK's assassination.
• Holliday was named America's number one disc jockey by the Bill Gavin Radio 'Gavin Report' in 1965.
• He has broadcast more than 1,200 University of Maryland games, including the 2002 NCAA Championship basketball victory over Indiana.

Broadcasting career

Johnny Holliday got his start on the radio at WBBN in Perry, Georgia, before moving through stations in Florida, New York, and Ohio. In New York City, he worked alongside Murray the K at WINS and was the one to host the station’s final music show in 1965. That same year, he headed west to the powerhouse Top 40 station KYA in San Francisco, where the Bill Gavin Radio “Gavin Report” named him America’s number one disc jockey. His radio work is now part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

While at KYA, he ran record hops and concerts, and he co-hosted the Beatles’ last live show at Candlestick Park in 1966. In 1969, Holliday moved to Washington, D.C., where he handled morning drive for WWDC until 1978, then switched to sports at WMAL from 1978 to 1991. Over his long sportscasting career, he has been linked with a wide range of teams and schools: the University of Maryland, San Francisco Warriors, Washington Bullets and Wizards, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco Giants, Washington Senators, Washington Federals, Washington Nationals, Stanford University, the University of California, the Naval Academy, and George Washington University.

He also covered the Olympics, championship boxing, and The Masters for ABC Radio. Earlier, in November 1963, Holliday served as the public address announcer for a Cleveland Browns matchup against the Dallas Cowboys that took place two days after the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Browns owner Art Modell instructed Holliday to refer to the opposing team only as the “Cowboys,” without reference to the City of Dallas. During his KYA years from 1965 to 1969, he showed his range by broadcasting local college athletics on radio and television, and he served as a public address announcer for both the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco Warriors.

Once in Washington, he hosted the Washington Senators pre-game show on radio with Ted Williams, did radio and TV coverage for the Washington Bullets and Wizards, and hosted Redskins shows on TV with players including Dexter Manley, Mark Moseley, Bobby Beathard and Charley Casserly. He also broadcast games on the radio for the Washington Federals, a franchise that played in the United States Football League in 1983 and 1984.

Awards and honors

Holliday’s work as the University of Maryland’s college football broadcaster earned him the Chris Schenkel award from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. The Maryland Daily Record named him one of its “60 Influential Marylanders” in 2010. Washington Post columnist Leonard Shapiro named Holliday as his all-time best Washington sports radio broadcaster since 1970. He was inducted into the Washington, D.C., Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.