If you’ve ever cracked open a beer and tuned to WIP before a Philadelphia Eagles game—especially if you’ve listened since you were a kid—then you know the unmistakable, gravel-tinged, slightly nasal baritone of Merrill Reese. As a lifelong Eagles fan who grew up listening to Reese on the radio and still tunes in on Sirius even when the game’s on TV, he’s more than just the “voice” of the team.
Reese grew up in Overbrook Park, Philadelphia, the kind of place where being an Eagles fan isn’t a choice — it’s a birthright. He went on to attend Temple University, studying communications and broadcasting, and called games on the school’s radio station. Back then, he couldn’t have known he’d become one of the most enduring voices in NFL history, but knew he belonged behind the mic.
Before the leap to the big time, Reese worked at smaller radio stations—calling high school games in Pottstown at WPAZ, then landing at WBCB in Levittown (a station he still part-owns) and doing work at other Philly-area stations. By the early-1970s he was doing pre- and post-game shows for the Eagles on SportsRadio 94.1 WIP-FM. Then in 1977 tragedy and fate collided: longtime Eagles radio voice Charlie Swift died. Reese stepped in for what was meant to be a temporary fill-in—and four decades later, he’s still there. Since his first play-by-play call—a home win over the Giants on December 11, 1977—there’s been no turning back.
What stands out about Reese is how he radiates Philly passion. He doesn’t sound like some boring announcer trying to stay neutral; this is why I’ll turn off the voice of Tom Brady to hear Reese call the game from my iPhone while I watch. He’s a fan. A Philly kid. A Temple grad. A man who wore Eagles jerseys as a kid and dreamed of being up in that booth. That authenticity matters. When he calls a touchdown or hollers the phrase “It’s gooooooood!” after a field goal, it doesn’t feel like radio: it’s like the city speaking through him. And year after year, even as the team changes players, coaches, and uniforms, his voice has remained a constant. His call is the soundtrack of Eagles seasons, the backdrop to Sunday afternoons, the thread connecting decades of fandom.
He didn’t just narrate the routine. He was behind the mic for history. The 2018 season—culminating in the franchise’s first Super Bowl win—stands out. As the final play of Super Bowl LII unfolded, Reese’s call pulsed through countless radios across the Philly area and beyond. Moments like that: the highs, the heartbreaks, the comeback drives, the snap judgments and last-second plays, are etched into Eagles lore in part because Reese was there to call them.
Still going strong in 2024, Reese was awarded the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall noted that for “nearly a half-century, fans… have had the privilege of hearing Merrill’s legendary voice.”
At 82, he’s signed a contract extension to keep calling Eagles games and says he has no plans to slow down after covering the team for half a century. He says, “There’s nothing I would rather do in the world.” And I believe him. Because when I tune into a Sunday Eagles game, maybe making cheesesteaks, I don’t just hear a voice. I hear home. I’m biased, but to me Reese isn’t just an announcer. He’s part of the Eagles. Part of Philadelphia.