Andrew Siciliano stood among the sea of Browns fans in the stadium on a late Thursday night in December, with an electrifying energy pulsing through the air. He watched as Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes and led the Browns to clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2020.
In his pocket was a small radio. On that radio, Siciliano listened to Jim Donovan and Nathan Zegura call the game, tuning in to hear Donovan announce "That's it! The Browns are going to the playoffs! The postseason is back in Cleveland!"
"Those chills are real, and I can't wait to be a part of those moments," Siciliano said.
The Browns announced on Aug. 29 that Donovan would be stepping away from the Browns Radio Network to continue his focus on his battle with cancer. This season, Siciliano will be in the radio booth as the play-by-play announcer for the University Hospitals Browns Radio Network. He will join Zegura in the radio booth starting with Week 1 against the Cowboys.
"I'm honored for the opportunity, but wish the circumstances were different," Siciliano said. "Like every Browns fan, I was stunned last week when I learned of Jim's retirement. I know I have big shoes to fill. Jim's an icon, an amazing man, and an indelible part of this community. I'm so grateful to Jim for his gracious support last season when I did a few games and will never forget sitting in the stands and listening to his call when the Browns clinched the playoffs in Week 17."
Siciliano has covered the NFL since 1996 as a television and radio reporter, host and play-by-play broadcaster. He spent 13 seasons on NFL Network as host of Total Access, NFL Now, TNF First Look, as well as NFLN's on-location coverage of the Super Bowl, NFL Draft and training camps.
He entered his career path because he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He wrote for his student newspaper in high school and fell in love with writing. Siciliano attended Syracuse University to study print journalism, but during his freshman year, he began working for the radio station. He called basketball, football and lacrosse games on student radio, and decided to follow the radio path.
After four years of covering the Bears as a radio and sideline reporter at Chicago's WMAQ, Siciliano spent eight years as a nationally syndicated talk show host for FOX Sports Radio and hosted a midday radio show on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles.
"Once I started doing games in college, I realized this is what I wanted to do. But it took a circuitous path," Siciliano said. "This was always a dream, but I didn't think it was realistic."
From 2002-2011, Siciliano held hosting duties at FOX Sports Net for various FSN programming including Final Score for five years. He has also called Arena Football League (AFL) games on FSN, co-hosted The Ultimate Fantasy Football Show, Totally Football and appeared weekly on The Best Damn Sports Show Period.
Siciliano also hosted DIRECTV's original Red Zone Channel for 18 seasons since its inception in 2005. He's been the preseason television play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Rams since 2011. He hosts NBC Sports' Gold Zone coverage of the Olympics and calls Big10 football for NBC, as well.
"We were so honored to have Jim Donovan as the Voice of the Cleveland Browns for 25 seasons, and we will be missing him in the radio booth this year," Executive Vice President and Partner JW Johnson said. "Last season we were able to bring Andrew Siciliano on for a number of games, and his passion for the Browns and this fanbase shines through his commentary. We're looking forward to having his voice lead the Dawg Pound on the radio call during the 2024 season."
Siciliano's love for the Browns stemmed from his childhood.
While a native of Reston, Virginia, Siciliano spent time during the summers and around the holidays in Cleveland at his late grandmother Mary Siciliano's house in Lyndhurst, Ohio. During some of those summer trips, Siciliano and his brother would attend training camp at Lakeland Community College, where he received autographs on camp programs – mementos he still owns of former players like Bernie Kosar, Webster Slaughter, Reggie Langhorne and Ozzie Newsome.
His father, Stephen, raised him and his brother, Seth, to be die-hard Browns fans. They would put rabbit ears on the top of the television to find the Browns games. An aunt would send Siciliano the Plain Dealer each Monday following games, and he would eagerly anticipate its arrival in the mail.
They also traveled to Cleveland for a handful of games throughout his childhood, but mainly attended games when the Browns visited the now Washington Commanders.
"My first real 'I fell in love with the Browns moment' was the '85 team," Siciliano said. "I still remember them losing to the Dolphins in the playoffs. And at that point, I was hooked. And so, '86 Bernie Kosar's first full year when they went 12-4 and went to the AFC Championship game, I was hooked in '85 and I was obsessed in '86. And from that point on, I have lived and died with this team."
Even as he began his career, his ties to the Browns never faded. When Siciliano would work Sundays at DIRECTV, he would listen to the NFL radio on SiriusXM waiting for Donovan's calls from the game. If he didn't hear them on his drive home, he would sit in the car and wait until he heard the calls.
Siciliano earned an opportunity to fill in for three games during the 2023 season, merging his love of the Browns with his illustrious career.
When Siciliano knew he would be on the call for Week 6 against the 49ers, Seth – who lives in Virginia but has been a season-ticket holder since 1999 – traveled to Cleveland to be in attendance for the game. As Siciliano stood in the radio booth, knowing his brother was in the stands, he took a picture of the field in front of him. It was a surreal moment for him.
"When I had the opportunity to fill in for Jim last year, that 49ers game was truly one of the most rewarding emotional days of my life," Siciliano said. "Ever since I was 11 years old, I have built my week around looking forward to game day for the Browns. The idea that I'm going to be part of it is too good to be true. It's truly unbelievable."
When Siciliano steps into the booth on Sunday for the season opener and puts on the headset to call the game, it will be another surreal moment of his career.
"This game is huge. This season is huge," Siciliano said of the Browns Week 1 matchup. "Ever since that day in Houston in January, every Browns fan worldwide has been waiting for the next chance to get on the field, the next chance to move forward and the next chance to write the story of this 2024 season. It's the Cowboys. It's the stadium. It's Week 1, and it doesn't get any bigger than this. And that's what I'm excited about. I'm excited, not only as a broadcaster, but I am excited as a fan for this game."
Now, Siciliano will have an opportunity to call the next season of the Browns storied history – one that has held a place throughout Siciliano's life, from when he listened to Nev Chandler on a Walkman call games throughout his childhood, to still getting chills when he hears Donovan's legendary "Run, William, run" call from the 2002 season.
"I'm one of millions of Browns fans who have lived through Jim's calls for the last 25 years, like, if I was at home, I would sync the radio feed to the TV. If I was working, and I was usually working, I would scour the internet looking for Jim's calls. No big game or big play or great moment was complete without his voice. I am flattered, and I am grateful to the Browns for giving me this amazing opportunity, it is a humbling honor. Jim's an icon."
"Let's go win one for Jim."
