— Photo courtesy of the Phoenix Suns. Longtime Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy is pictured calling play-by-play for one last time on April 4, 2023 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. On that date, the Suns prevailed over the San Antonio Spurs, 115-94, to clinch a playoff spot.

Shazam. The Heartbreak Hotel. The Nash Rambler. Wham Bam Slam. Put This One in the Ol’ Deep Freeze.

All catchphrases from a farm kid out of Williams, Iowa.

With more than half of a century behind the microphone, Phoenix Suns play-by-play announcer Al McCoy has seen more than his fair share of basketball. He had paid witness to times thick and thin for the Suns — from lean season to the dizzying heights of NBA Finals appearances.

McCoy, now 90 years young, called the play of many NBA greats, ranging from “The Flying Dutchman” Dick Van Arsdale and Phil Westphal to Kevin Johnson, “Thunder” Dan Marjerle, “Sir” Charles Barkley, Jason “Captain” Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal, “The Matrix” Shawn Marion and Steve Nash.

Over the years, McCoy was rewarded for his work — from being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor. His catchphrases and classic style has influenced many broadcasters, from Steve Albert to Mike Breen.

Before announcing that the 2022-2023 season was his final year of broadcasting, “The Voice of the Suns” provided his down to earth, folksy touch to describe the play of the more current Phoenix teams, adorned by star players such as Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant.

This past Thursday, the legendary broadcaster signed off, after the Suns fell to the Denver Nuggets, 125-100, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

It was the end of an era.

“The final seconds will tick away, and Denver will come away with a huge victory to eliminate the Suns in the Western Conference semifinals,” McCoy spoke through the air. “I want to take a minute before we go into the postgame show, and I’d think our listeners know that this is my final game with the Phoenix Suns after 51 amazing years.”

McCoy — who was the longest tenured broadcaster in NBA history — gracefully thanked his colleagues, such as John Bloom and Tim Kempton, who had worked alongside him and wished them nothing but the best in their careers going forward.

“I want to say something special to a special group of people,” McCoy said. “Through the years, I’ve become friends with so many sightless people, and you can’t understand what radio and sports radio means to these folks. I got to know many sightless people who depend on our radio broadcasts. I just want to thank all of those folks who depend on radio, and allow me to be a part of their lives.”

McCoy’s journey is that of a storybook, born and raised on a small farm outside of Williams.

There was no electricity and no running water. However, he had a battery-powered radio.

“I got interested in listening to sports broadcasts as a youngster growing up,” McCoy said. “I really developed an early interest in broadcasting just from listening to games on that old battery radio.”

McCoy’s passion for basketball is a deep one, as he grew up playing the sport and was a three-year starter for Williams High School. During his time at WHS, he garnered high marks in radio speaking and one-act play.

This landed him a partial scholarship to attend Drake University in Des Moines.

“Late in my freshman year, I sent out a bunch of auditions and applications to radio stations all over Iowa,” said McCoy. “I got one reply, and that was from KJFJ in Webster City.”

McCoy was soon picked up by WHO in Des Moines, who had entered the FM realm at that time and searched for more staff. Thanks to a recommendation, McCoy got picked up by WHO.

“It was a huge opportunity for me,” McCoy said. “Jim Zabel was the sports director and did all of the play-by-play. He became a close friend, and we spent a lot of time together late in his career — when he lived in Arizona, after he had retired.”

Even though WHO didn’t provide McCoy with a whole lot related to sports, KWDM did.

“I just wanted to get some experience doing play-by-play,” said McCoy.

McCoy then decided to head to the desert, for the first time. He then returned to Iowa, this time landing a graduate assistantship at the University of Iowa and worked at WXIC in Iowa City.

After spending a year at Iowa, McCoy went over to Chicago for a few months. After a short stint in the Windy City, McCoy worked in Buffalo as a piano disc jockey.

One year later, McCoy got back into sports and returned to the Valley of the Sun.

“This was when the New York Giants moved to San Francisco and when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles,” McCoy said. “I found out that the Giants were moving their Triple-A farm club from Minneapolis to Phoenix. With some contacts, I thought that I could get that job. I took a chance, and I got started in Phoenix calling minor league baseball.”

It was a foot in the door.

Before the arrival of the Suns in 1968, McCoy would call play-by-play for Arizona State football and basketball, the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League and was an anchor on two different channels in the Phoenix area.

Then, Phoenix was granted an NBA franchise.

“I went after the job, because that was what my goal had been, since living at that farm in Williams, Iowa,” McCoy said. “It was to be the voice of a team. I grew up listening to Harry Caray, and it was my ultimate goal.”

McCoy decided to apply to be the voice of the Suns, and was initially turned down. Two years in, though, McCoy did join the Suns — and realized that boyhood dream.

Since then, he’s become an institution. However, McCoy never forgot about his roots.

“It all started at KJFJ in Webster City,” McCoy said.

McCoy’s favorite moments are many, starting with receiving the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2007, the Iowa Hall of Pride in 2015 and the Suns’ Ring of Honor in 2017. McCoy’s highlights are the Suns’ appearances in the NBA Finals in 1976, 1993 and 2021, along with the NBA All-Star Games held in Phoenix in 1975, 1995 and 2009.

McCoy also had the privilege of traveling abroad with the team in Japan and Italy. Then, McCoy got to be on the call for the NBA’s first triple-overtime game between the Suns and Boston Celtics in the 1976 Finals.

“Every time that (the Suns) have been in the NBA Finals, they have been heard all over the world,” McCoy said.

As for players? It’s really tough to pick just one who stood out to McCoy.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have so many outstanding players, it’s really difficult to start naming them,” said McCoy. “The original Sun was Dick Van Arsdale, and after he retired, he worked with me on radio and television for 15 years. There are a lot of great players who have worn the uniform of the Suns. It’s been a real thrill to describe their play — there’s no doubt about it.”

“It’s been a terrific career,” McCoy continued. “When I look back, it’s been a great ride. It just goes to show you, and I tell many young individuals who are getting into the business, that anything is possible. If a farm boy from Iowa can get into the basketball hall of fame and can call the NBA for 51 years, anything is possible.”