Alec Sherman honored for 46 seasons as ‘Voice of the Purple Eagles’

Jeff Radder takes over at microphone in new era of Rivals football

Photo by Cheryl Wertman: Alec Sherman is presented a plaque in appreciation for his 46 years at the microphone of Albion football games. Mickey Edwards, a former Albion player and now the district superintendent, presents the plaque to Sherman before Friday’s game versus West Seneca East. Sherman performed the honorary coin toss before the game.

ALBION – After 46 seasons as the voice of the Purple Eagles, Alec Sherman has retired from the position.

Hundreds of times over his tenure he called out, “The Eagle has landed!” when Albion scored a touchdown.

But it’s a new era of football with Albion and Medina fielding a merged team – the OC Rivals.

Sherman thought the timing was right to hand off the reins. Jeff Radder, a middle school science teacher and a DJ, is the new announcer at home games in Albion.

Radder introduced his own catchphrase for when the team scores a touchdown: “In for the paydirt!” The Rivals have two shovels as part of their logo to signify the building of the Erie Canal. Radder thought paydirt was a nice tie-in with the logo.

Radder was able to call out five touchdowns in Friday’s game for the Rivals. They lost a close one, 35-34, to West Seneca East.

Sherman said the crowd is in good hands with Radder.

“He knows the kids,” Sherman said. “He has the voice for it and the knowledge.”

Sherman was able to call many monumental games in his tenure, especially the hard-fought contests between Albion and Medina. Four times he was the announcer for Albion in games at the Buffalo Bills stadium. In those games, each team’s announcer called a half.

Sherman, an Albion grad, said he was always pulling for the Purple Eagles to win.

“The emphasis was on our side, but I tried to be fair,” he said.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jeff Radder, right in press box, calls out the action in Friday’s football game in Albion.

Sherman was honored before Friday’s game, the first home game in Albion for the new Rivals team. He performed the coin toss and was presented with a plaque from Mickey Edwards, the Albion district superintendent and a former Albion player.

Sherman graduated from Albion on 1968 and started working at the district as a teacher in 1977. He spent most of his career teaching U.S. history. In 1979, he called his first JV game for Albion and started doing the varsity games in the mid-’80s.

He also coached JV softball, and boys and girls basketball. Two of his girls varsity basketball teams won Niagara-Orleans titles.

Alec Sherman served performed the honorary coin toss before Friday’s game, which was homecoming in Albion.

Sherman is pleased to see the merged team off to a strong start, and to see a big crowd at Friday’s football game.

“It has always been a joy,” Sherman said about the role of announcer. “It meant a lot to be able to do it for my hometown, for the kids and the community. I never did it for myself, I did it for them. Now that we are entering into a new era with the new merger, it’s time to give somebody else a turn.”

Jeff Radder called Friday’s game from the press box and introduced his catchphrase for Rivals’ touchdowns: “In for the paydirt!”