Meet the new voice: Andy Garcia takes over play-by-play duties for NIU basketball, football

DeKALB – With only 133 FBS play-by-play announcer jobs open across the country, Andy Garcia knew there’d be competition to replace Bill Baker as the voice of Northern Illinois University football.

But Tuesday, the school announced Garcia, a longtime sideline reporter for the Huskies and women’s basketball play-by-play voice, will take over football and men’s basketball duties from Baker.

“I know there were thousands of people that wanted this job, so was it nerve-wracking? Sure,” Garcia said. “But I did feel that I was ready. I had shown NIU I was prepared and I was the right guy for them.

“It didn’t take them long to realize what I knew, that I was the right choice.”

In August, Baker announced this football season would be his last after 44 years of calling NIU games in practically every sport, most recently focusing on football and men’s basketball.

Baker said when the job became available in 1980, he worked tirelessly to get the position. Now almost five decades later, he was thrilled to see Garcia get the chance.

“He’s climbed the ladder. He’s paid his dues. He’s earned the right to the No. 1 chair,” Baker said. “As we got closer and closer, waiting and waiting to see how this thing would level out, I found myself again wanting this position. Not for myself this time, but for him. Probably as much as I did for myself back in 1980.”

Garcia said he was appreciative of Baker pushing for him to get the job. A 1999 graduate of Central Florida, Garcia started working with NIU in 2006 as host of NIU Weekly, a 30-minute radio show. Although now a video show on the Huskies’ YouTube channel, Garcia still hosts the program.

In 2011, he took over as the play-by-play voice of the women’s basketball team. Those duties are being handed over to Mike Haase, the associate director of strategic communications and marketing who also serves as the women’s basketball communications contact.

Garcia started as a sideline reporter on a fill-in basis in 2012 and permanently in 2013. He also does play-by-play for most ESPN+ and ESPN3 in-school productions of other sports like volleyball and gymnastics. Garcia also works with Westwood One Radio Sports as a game producer and in affiliate sales.

“Andy’s dedication to NIU Athletics, his professionalism and his passion for this job and all of our programs made him the perfect choice to be our new play-by-play voice,” athletic director Sean Frazier said in a statement. “He knows our teams, our coaches and our staff. He brings energy and enthusiasm to every broadcast, and we are excited to have him lead our men’s basketball and football broadcasts.”

Garica’s first game in the lead chair will be Nov. 6 when the Huskies open the regular season at Marquette.

When Baker announced his retirement, the two talked about the possibility of Garcia taking over. Those talks became a reality Tuesday.

“I said, ‘Bill I want it.’ I’m excited,” Garcia said. “He’s taught me a lot about business and broadcasting and NIU. I felt like this was the great opportunity I’ve been looking for, and it really is a dream come true.”