Dan York

The 2022-23 school season marks Dan York’s 45th year of announcing high school sports in Garden City. As a sophomore, York began announcing varsity and junior varsity football at Garden City West in the Fall of 1978 and has been the voice of Cougars since Garden City East and West consolidated in 1982. “There had been a student public address announcer for basketball and JV football at West, but an adult, Jim Tucker, had been the varsity football announcer since West opened,” said York recalling his start. “Mr. Tucker notified Bill Pinnell, the Athletic Director at West, just before the 1978 season started that he was moving. I had been groomed by Steve McGowan, who had graduated the year before, to take over as the student announcer so Coach Pinnell told me I was announcing varsity football too. Just like that, I was thrown into the deep end at 14 years old.”

Since then, York has announced thousands of games, meets, matches, bouts and events involving the Garden City Cougars and other teams.
 

“When we consolidated high schools, Mike Reilly was the public address announcer for East and had a great voice. Because he was a teacher, he could have easily bumped me from doing the varsity football games at the new high school, but he graciously stepped aside and let me continue doing the games.” York has been the PA voice for football, basketball, wrestling, track, volleyball, soccer, swimming, softball and baseball at various times over his forty years. These days, Dan focuses on varsity and JV football, boys and girls basketball, wrestling tournaments and softball.

Currently, along with the Cougars, Dan is the press box announcer for the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, Eastern Michigan's football, baseball and basketball teams and can be heard at Wayne State University, University of Michigan Dearborn and Macomb College.

Past highlights include announcing the World Cup at the Silverdome in 1994 with Mark Andrews, hosting the Joe Vision series at Joe Louis Arena during the Red Wings play off runs during the 1990s and early 2000s, working as public address announcer with Hall of Famer Budd Lynch at Joe Louis Arena, announcing select games at Tiger Stadium from 1996-1999 and working as the first public address announcer for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park from 2000-2003. 

From his start in Garden City, Dan has had the opportunity to be heard all over Metro Detroit. Along with public address announcing at Schoolcraft College while he was in high school, York has announced the Detroit Spirits of the CBA, the Detroit Rockers and Detroit Ignition (indoor soccer), the Detroit Turbos (Major Indoor Lacrosse League), Detroit Drive (Arena Football), Wayne State University football, basketball and volleyball and Detroit Titans basketball. York also worked in radio at WAAM and WPZA in Ann Arbor. 

Currently, York is the voice of the high school football Kick-Off Classic at Wayne State University and can occasionally be heard at Wayne State University and at Madonna.

“I have had a lot of very cool opportunities because of my start in Garden City, Dan said. “If Bill Pinnell didn’t trust me as a sophomore in high school, it’s possible I never get any of these chances."  A couple of years ago York was inducted into the Garden City High School football Hall of Fame, nominated by former coach Scott Murray.