Our guest speaker for this meeting will be Jones Angell, the longtime radio play-by-play voice of University of North Carolina football and men’s basketball, a position he has held since 2011. As the lead announcer for the Tar Heel Sports Network, Angell has become one of the most recognizable voices in college athletics in North Carolina, calling many of the biggest moments in UNC sports for listeners across the state and beyond. He will be speaking to us about UNC basketball.
A North Carolina native who grew up primarily in Jacksonville, Angell was a Tar Heel fan long before becoming the program’s radio voice. As a youngster, he listened to legendary broadcaster Woody Durham call Carolina football and basketball games, an experience that helped spark his interest in sports broadcasting.
Angell attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying journalism and mass communication. Between his sophomore and junior years, he began an internship with the Tar Heel Sports Network, where he learned the broadcasting business from the ground up. While still a student, he began calling high school football and baseball games and also gained experience covering UNC women’s soccer and women’s basketball.
After graduating from UNC in 2001, Angell continued working with the Tar Heel Sports Network in a variety of roles. Baseball became an important part of his early broadcasting career. He spent nearly a decade calling Carolina baseball, including five trips to the College World Series. He also worked as a host and analyst on football and men’s basketball broadcasts, giving him the opportunity to work closely with Durham and learn from the man whose broadcasts he had listened to growing up.
When Durham retired in 2011 after 40 seasons as the “Voice of the Tar Heels,” UNC conducted a national search for his successor. Angell was selected to take over play-by-play duties for both football and men’s basketball. At the time, he had already been part of the Carolina broadcast team for nearly 70 football games and more than 200 men’s basketball games, including UNC’s 2009 national championship season.
Since moving into the lead chair, Angell has called some of the most memorable moments in modern Carolina athletics. His tenure has included ACC championships, NCAA Tournament runs, rivalry games against Duke and NC State, bowl games and the Tar Heels’ 2017 NCAA men’s basketball national championship.
Angell’s work extends beyond game broadcasts. He has produced and hosted features for UNC athletics, contributed to coaches’ television programs and written about Tar Heel sports. He also serves as co-host with Adam Lucas of Carolina Insider, a podcast devoted to UNC athletics that combines game analysis, interviews, behind-the-scenes stories and discussion of the Carolina sports program.
More than a decade after succeeding Woody Durham, Angell has established his own identity behind the microphone while maintaining the tradition associated with one of college athletics’ most prominent broadcasting positions. His preparation, familiarity with Carolina athletics and ability to describe a game clearly and enthusiastically have made him a familiar connection between UNC teams and generations of Tar Heel fans.
Mark Your Calendar
10/21/26 – Steve Wiseman, Sports Editor, Raleigh News & Observer
11/4/26 – A Special Guest Speaker
11/18/26 – A different Special Guest Speaker