Elise Woodward: Being Washington football’s new radio voice is ‘a perfect match’

Elise Woodward is deeply connected to the University of Washington. She played guard for the Huskies basketball team in the 1990s and spent 23 years as a sideline reporter for football broadcasts. Last week, she was named the football program’s new radio play-by-play announcer.

Woodward takes over for Tony Castricone, who left to succeed the retired Gene Deckerhoff as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ radio voice. According to The Athletic, Woodward is believed to be the first woman in the FBS to hold such a role. She will make her official debut on Sept. 6, when the Huskies host Washington State for the Apple Cup.

We recently caught up with Woodward, who is also the Portland Fire’s television play-by-play announcer, to discuss her promotion.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Was this something you were immediately interested in once the job became available?

Elise Woodward: “Absolutely. Once I found out that Tony was taking the job with Tampa Bay, I started talking to the folks involved in the decision-making. They were really excited, and I was really excited to see if it would work. And yes, this is an awesome opportunity. I’ve been involved with the program for so long, and I’ve done play-by-play for so long that it’s just a perfect match in my opinion for UW football.”

What does it mean to be the voice of Huskies football, especially as an alum?

“To have the opportunity at my alma mater, I understand what it means. I know the history. I don’t have to do deep-dive research because I’ve lived it. It’s a special opportunity to call the games for UW and be part of your alma mater. It’s a responsibility as the voice of football. It carries a lot more (weight) than many other positions and, in many ways, it’s the voice of the athletic department, too. So, yeah, it’s an amazing opportunity to help push the University of Washington athletic department forward.”

How much fun will it be to start your new job with the Apple Cup?

“There’ve been some crazy Apple Cup games I’ve been a part of. It’s ingrained in your mindset, in your blood. During Thanksgiving week, you’re talking trash. The kids are at school, and they wear the colors. Your neighbors fly the flags for the Apple Cup. You’ve just got to push the gas pedal down because it’s starting the season with the Apple Cup, which is really cool. It’s different, and I think people in the Northwest have to get used to it, but it’s also the Apple Cup. People are going to start talking trash. You’ve got a whole summer to talk trash. Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun to get the season rolling. There’s no warming up.”

You’ve done play-by-play for other sports. Have you always wanted to call football?

“I grew up a huge football fan. My brother played football at Oregon. It’s the first sport I remember watching as a kid. The pomp and circumstance of football are outstanding. People care deeply and passionately, and it’s the No. 1 sport in America. So yes, it’s always been something I wanted to do. I had a chance to fill in for Tony on the radio. I called multiple games on TV for the Pac-12 Network. It’s going to be a ton of fun. It’s going to be a blast.”

What do you anticipate will be your biggest challenge?

“Most of the work I’ve done has been on TV, so radio is a different medium with its own challenges. It’s going to be the far-side plays, deep in the end zone from way up top at Husky Stadium, where I may not have a monitor. I was already looking for the best set of binoculars I can get because it’s very difficult at night, especially to see numbers on the far side. There’s no double-checking a monitor like you can for TV, so your naked eyes are the entire story. There’s no replay, so if you miss it, that’s a big challenge.”

What advice or words of encouragement have you received from Tony Castricone?

“Tony and I have a great relationship. We talked play-by-play for hours when he was here. We had many great plane rides to talk about the ins and outs of the craft and share ideas. I chatted with him, and he was so gracious. He was awesome. He’s rooting for me all the way and has been a huge supporter. I really appreciate him, and the relationship we had when he was here was great. I also talked to Bob Rondeau, who’s a great mentor and a good friend of mine as well.”

Is there any significance to you getting this job in a traditionally male-dominated field?

“For me, there’s Jenny Boucek, who’s an assistant coach in the NBA. She was here in Seattle with the WNBA. I’ve known her a long time. She said something that resonated with me a long time ago. She said, ‘I never want to get a job because I am a woman, but I also never don’t want to get a job because I’m a woman.’ I feel the same way. This is a special opportunity for me to be like an offensive lineman and hopefully open up some holes for people behind me to have an easier path to get a job, but certainly in no way do I think it should be the headline. I feel like my years of hard work in this profession across all sports and all roles, and the trust I’ve earned inside and outside the athletic department, are the reasons I was hired.”

When you were young, what did you want to become?

“My goal was to be a professional basketball player. I realized that wasn’t going to happen, so I was like, ‘I’m going to be a coach.’ You can’t major in coaching. I was at UW and was like, ‘OK, what’s the next closest thing to keep me involved in sports?’ That was broadcast communications, so I majored in it. I had some amazing internships. I got to be in the clubhouse for the Mariners’ run in ’95, with Randy, Alex, Edgar, and the whole crew. Then I had an internship with Prime Sports, which was then Fox Sports Northwest, which then became Root Sports. Anyway, I had a great internship there, and they hired me when I was done playing at UW. I never had to leave the Seattle market. I never went into coaching. It’s been a brilliant, long career.”

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