RIP, DAVID COURTNEY
Friend, and voice of 3 local teams passes away
Courtesy of Facebook
Yesterday was a somber day for Southern California sports fans, as the long-time Public Address announcer for the KINGS, ANGELS and CLIPPERS passed away suddenly.
David Courtney succumbed to a pulmonary embolism Thursday morning, hours after he drove himself to the hospital because he was suffering from shortness of breath.
He was only 56, but his voice was well known to hockey and baseball fans – he’d been doing Kings games since 1989 and Angels games since 1994, and had also added Clippers games to his schedule for the past three years.
He was fortunate enough to be behind the microphone when the Angels won their first World Series title in 2002, only to TOP that back in June when the Kings won the Stanley Cup.
Courtesy of Facebook
And those of us who were there at Staples Center will NEVER forget his annoucement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Stanley Cup!"
And on a personal note, he and I became good friends over the years, as our friendship began on my very first day working at Metro Networks in Los Angeles (they provided news and traffic for radio stations all over So Cal)
On my very first day, as I was being led around the various studios and meeting various employees, I happened to immediately recognize one of them. "Hey! I KNOW you! You're David Courtney! I'm a HUGE fan of yours! GO KINGS GO!!"
He laughed at me, and we immediately hit it off. In fact, when I got home from my first day on the job, I had to call my girlfriend (and future wife) to brag: "Guess who I'm working with?? DAVID COURTNEY!!"
During the five years we worked together, we would often talk about the Kings during our break times, and he would often give me his two free Kings tickets, knowing they would not go to waste - even on short notice. In fact, when David would get on the intercom and announce his tickets were available to the first person to reach his booth, I would often sprint down the hallway and hip check a couple of employees into the vending machine to get those tickets.
And I did the same thing to male employees, too. And David would just chuckle when he saw that I had won the race for his tickets. AGAIN.
And I often used his voice during Christmas, where I would give my future wife a gift-wrapped CD or cassette tape. When she played it, it was the "voice of the Kings" David Courtney telling her how her BF was taking her to a Kings game in San Jose, or Denver, or Phoenix.
We would also talk about his PA work with the Kings, and how I loved his style. In fact, I told him one time, "If you ever have to miss a Kings game for whatever reason, just let me know! I would LOVE to cover for you!" He replied with, "Do you wanna work 'Frozen Fury' in Las Vegas? I have an Angels game that night."
"Are you freakin' SERIOUS?"
"100%."
"HECK YEAH! I'd LOVE to announce the Kings in Vegas!"
And that's how I ended up announcing a Kings-Avalanche game from the MGM Grand. David made a couple of calls, vouched for me - even though I had never announced a hockey game - and gave me and my wife memories we'll have for the rest of our lives.
THAT game eventually led me to doing games for the San Diego Gulls and Long Beach Ice Dogs - and my first ever regular season NHL game, when the Ducks announcer got sick, so they called David to fill-in. He couldn't, so he recommended ME. I got a call at home around 3pm:
"Hi Jeff, this is ____ with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, how are you?"
"I'm good, thanks for asking." (While wondering why someone with the Mighty Ducks would be calling me, a die-hard Kings fan.)
"Anyway, our announcer called in sick, and David Courtney recommended we call you, and you'd be able to do it for us. Are you able to work tonight?"
At this point, I'm totally freaking out! "Yes, I can work tonight. What time is face-off?"
"7pm. Can you be here by 6?"
"I can be there by 5."
He hung up, and I SCREAMED! I called my wife, and told her I was working the Mighty Ducks game, and she SCREAMED! And I called my best friend (Jesse Duran), and my brother, and THEY screamed!
And, in a perfect game for me, the Minnesota Wild beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 5-0. I didn't even have to annouce a Ducks goal!
Later, when I got the PA announcing job with the Ontario Reign 4 years ago, I sent him an e-mail, thanking him for helping me get the gig (thinking he had called someone with the Reign to recommend me for the job)
He responded, "I never contacted the team, you got that job all on your own. Congratulations! Welcome to the club - David Courtney, voice of the Kings, Angels, and Jeff Pope's Wedding"
He was a good mentor, a great announcer, and an even better person. He, and his voice will be missed by a LOT of Southern California sports fans.
Thanks for everything, David. You were one of a kind, and one of the best. I hope I've made you proud.
