Published: December 10, 2009

Football fans across the country are getting plenty of opportunities to hear Bob Papa calling NFL games, as the New York Giants play-by-play announcer and Fordham alumnus is in his second year working with NFL Network, broadcasting weekly games on national television.

Papa will be a big part of fans’ holiday routines this season, as he provided play-by-play for NFL Network’s coverage of the Giants 26-6 loss at Denver on Thanksgiving and will be in the booth for the Chargers-Titans matchup on Christmas Day.

Papa said the time away from his family can be difficult, but knows that he is doing exactly what he’s wanted to do since he was a young child.

“I am very thankful to have been given an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream. I get paid to watch sports,” he said.

In addition to NFL Network, Papa calls Giants games for SportsRadio 660 WFAN. Giants’ fans will always remember his memorable calls from the team’s 2007-08 championship season.

But before he became a successful sports anchor on radio and television, Papa was a regular student roaming the grounds of the Rose Hill campus.

Despite graduating from Fordham’s College of Business Administration in 1986, Papa knew he wanted to go into broadcasting, and gained valuable experience at WFUV, Fordham’s radio station. He had spent his freshman year of college at the University of Delaware, but eventually wanted to get to Fordham, specifically to work at the radio station to develop and season his skills. Papa learned to work closely with others and managed as many as 20 people when he was named WFUV’s Sports Director in his senior year. But Papa’s education at CBA did prove to be useful during his time at the station.

“At the time, WFUV was entirely student-run. We had to raise money to support our department, so the business classes helped,” Papa said.

Papa cites Stan Fischler as a major influence during his time at Fordham. While working as a hockey analyst for SportsChannel New York, Fischler taught a reporting class at the school that Papa remembers to this day.

“He gave us a firsthand look at what the profession was all about,” he said. “He brought in guest speakers like Marv Albert, Fran Healy and Mel Allen that were all working major jobs in broadcasting.”

A few weeks after graduation, Papa headed upstate to cover the Utica Blue Sox baseball team on radio. However, he only stayed there a short time because the station mostly slated him to host sports talk shows, without receiving the time he had expected for play by play.

Papa returned to the city, and tried out for a position on WFAN, but the person he interviewed with told him that he didn’t have a future on-air. After the interview, Papa called his father from a payphone to tell him what happened. The elder Papa asked his son what he planned to do next.

“I told him I was going to prove that guy wrong,” Papa recalled.

But before he could do that, he at least needed to find a job. He returned to Fordham as a public address announcer for Rams basketball games, thanks to Athletic Director Frank McLaughlin. When the Rams played Seton Hall later that season, Papa was fortunate enough to meet legendary play-by-play man Marty Glickman, who was doing the Pirates’ games on WNEW-AM. After McLaughlin bragged to him about Papa’s talent, Glickman asked the future Giants announcer for a tape of his work.

A few weeks later, Glickman hired Papa as his backup on WNEW. The station  also carried Giants games at the time, and in 1988 Papa created Giants Point After, a show where fans could call in to give their postgame reaction. Despite his remarkable amount of success in a short period of time, Papa never forgot that Glickman gave him his first real chance.

“He spent so much time with me talking about play-by-play. Whether it was in his apartment or on the phone, Marty was always there for me,” Papa said.

Papa became the Giants’ radio voice in 1995, and has worked diligently at his craft to make sure he’s as informed as possible. He spends about 20 hours a week preparing depth charts, watching coaches’ game tape, and reading notes and statistics about the Giants and their opposition. This allows him to be prepared for almost any situation an NFL football game can present.

“If you get to 20 percent of what you prepared for, it’s a lot,” Papa said. “But the knowledge you gain will eventually be used at a later date.”

Papa’s increased national airtime has also presented new skills for the Fordham alum to master. “When doing a National game, you have to make sure that you are balanced in your discussion during the broadcast,” Papa said. “I really enjoy spending time with two different teams each week. It expands my knowledge about everything that is going on across the NFL.”

This Christmas Day, Papa will be spending time with the San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans. But there will be quite a few Americans spending their afternoon with Papa’s broadcast of the game.