Rowan University’s Center for Sports Communication & Social Impact welcomed Tom McCarthy, play-by-play voice on NBC Sports Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Phillies, to speak at the first Pizza with the Pros this school year on Monday, Sept. 22. Over 190 students packed inside King Auditorium to hear McCarthy speak for the first time at Rowan since 2022.

Pizza with the Profs gives students of all kinds a chance to ask questions and get insight on the professional career of its guests. McCarthy, a Trenton State College graduate, which is now known as The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), explained his path to the big leagues.

Originally, he wanted to just play baseball at Trenton State, and he wasn’t even a communications major, but rather biology. Eventually, he was asked if he wanted to write and cover sports, which eventually led to his gig as a football analyst for Trenton State.

“Writing on deadline was an incredible high,” said McCarthy

McCarthy, after graduating, went to the MLB Winter Meetings in hopes of finding a job in minor league baseball. He eventually landed the opportunity to do play-by-play for the Charleston Rainbows, which is now the River Dogs. At the time, they were a Class-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, and it allowed McCarthy to gain professional baseball experience.

He would use the tapes from his time there to eventually land a spot doing the same thing, but with the Trenton Thunder. He would stay with the Trenton Thunder from 1994-1999. At the end of his Thunder tenure, McCarthy was ready to step down, and he had the opportunity to run his own minor league baseball team.

“The people in my life kept me going,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy would wind up doing two more years of radio play-by-play for the Mets on WFAN before signing a five-year deal with the Phillies to begin the 2008 season. He took over full-time early in 2009 after the unfortunate passing of longtime Phillies play-by-play, Harry Kalas.

He has been with the Phillies ever since, and it all started at Trenton State because someone offered him the ability to write and cover sports. McCarthy made it clear with his advice.

“Say yes to everything,” McCarthy said. “Your capacity to do things is larger than you realize.”

Even though McCarthy is a professional, he is still human. He explained that he still has emotions and gets nervous at times.

As for his moments of nervousness, they came during Roy Halladay’s perfect game on May 29, 2010, against the Florida Marlins.

“There’s been a couple of moments where I have told myself, make sure you do this, this, and this, but that’s it. Roy Halladay’s perfect game. I was nervous, you know, I was still young and to TV, I was a radio guy,” McCarthy said. “I decided in the eighth inning, I was going to make a radio call on TV, because I felt like that was the best gift to give the Phillies, the fans, and Roy Halladay. So if you ever heard my call, it’s really descriptive for TV.”

To close out his discussion, McCarthy shared the most rewarding aspect of his job.

“We make people happy by listening to us,” McCarthy said.

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