| Al Meltzer | |
| Birth Date: | June 26, 1928 |
| Alias: | Big Al |
| Years Active: | 1940s–2003 |
| Occupation: | Sportscaster |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 4 |
Al Meltzer (June 26, 1928June 12, 2018), nicknamed "Big Al", was an American sportscaster.
Born in Syracuse, New York,[1] Meltzer worked for Channel 10 and Channel 3 in Philadelphia, and Comcast SportsNet (as sports director). He also worked for WPHL-17 where he called play-by-play of Big 5 and 76ers basketball. He has also covered the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, and Temple Owls.[2] [3] [4] Previously, he worked in Buffalo, New York at WEBR.[5] He is a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Big 5 Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame.[6] [7] During the 1970s, Meltzer, while still living in Philadelphia, commuted to Buffalo to serve as the Buffalo Bills Radio Network play-by-play announcer, serving on a team with Rick Azar and Ed Rutkowski.[8] He died at the age of 89 on June 12, 2018.[9]
Meltzer occasionally did voice-over work for NFL Films and was a substitute host for NFL Films' weekly wrapup, This Week in Pro Football (This Week in the NFL starting in 1974).