SmashMouth

Al Wester, the first radio voice of the Saints, whose local and national broadcasting career spanned more than 60 years, died last week in a New Orleans hospital.

He was 93.

Wester was behind the mic for two of the most memorable plays in Saints history — John Gilliam’s kickoff return for a touchdown in the team’s first game against the Los Angeles Rams in 1967 and Tom Dempsey’s then-NFL record 63-yard field goal to give the Saints a 19-17 victory against the Detroit Lions in 1970.

Wester’s call of Dempsey’s kick, “Here’s the snap. The ball is down. And … it is good! It’s good! It’s good! The Saints win! The Saints win! 19-17,” can still be heard, along with the video, in the Saints Museum in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“Al Wester was the conduit to the fans in those days,” said museum director Kenny Trahan. “Radio was magical back then, especially because the home games weren’t on TV.

“Al was poetic in the way he could describe a game. He really drew you in with the word pictures he was drawing.”

Along with broadcasting the Saints games from 1967-70, Wester was the sports director at WDSU-TV for several years beginning in 1952 when he came to New Orleans from Greenville, South Carolina.

Saints first radio broadcaster, Al Wester, dies at 93; also known for his work in other sports | Saints | theadvocate.com

RIP

Rugby Saint II

Thanks for the memories. Rest in peace.