RIO GRANDE VALLEY – For 15 years, when fans tune-in to watch a UTRGV Athletics broadcast, they have been greeted and entertained by the familiar voice of Jonah Goldberg. 
 
Goldberg, the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications & Championships, celebrated the 2,000^th broadcast of his career on Jan. 17 as the UTRGV women's basketball team hosted the McNeese Cowgirls. Prior to tipoff, he was recognized on the court, enjoying a rare moment in the spotlight instead of behind the scenes. 
 
"On behalf of our department, we want to congratulate Jonah on his 2,000^th broadcast," said UTRGV Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. "Not only has Jonah been part of countless memorable sports moments, but over the past 15 years he has been part of a team that has elevated our athletics department to what it is today. Jonah's efforts have certainly helped the Vaqueros #RallyTheValley." 
 
Reflecting on the milestone reminded Goldberg not only of his why, but more importantly, of all the people who contributed to his journey and made the road to 2,000 so special. Their support and belief in his abilities have been paid forward time and time again by Goldberg throughout his career. 
 
"When I looked up into the stands and I saw my family there and my friends with signs, that was my favorite moment," Goldberg said of the pregame recognition. "It was a surreal moment [when they brought me onto the court]. It was almost like time slowed down for a minute. I was looking around trying to take it all in. I did tear up, and I did not think that was going to happen." 


 
The path to 2,000 had its fair share of obstacles that each contributed to the drive and determination Goldberg puts into his work. He kickstarted his career at a baseball game back in May 2002 as a junior at John F. Kennedy High School in New York.  
 
There was no internet at the baseball field, so Goldberg sat in the stands and broadcasted into a tape recorder. After the game, he played the entire recording back so it could get recorded on the internal mic of his iMac. Then, his brother, Rafi, helped him upload that recording to the school website – which Rafi built. Despite the game being a one-sided loss, Goldberg's broadcast got significant traffic over the next few days. "It was new and it was different, so it got some attention," Goldberg said. 
 
The self-started production leveled up in 2003. Goldberg's dad, Paul, bought a laptop and let Goldberg take it to the field so he could record directly into it before uploading to the web, which saved a few hours each game. Rafi helped Goldberg build his own website for his senior year of high school and his broadcasts lived there. He mostly did home baseball and softball games, but went on the road occasionally, too. 
 
Those early days had ups and downs, as most new endeavors do. During his first broadcast in 2002, a classmate dropped a few curse words into Goldberg's microphone, and a member of the opposing team teased, 'Look at that guy, he thinks he's a broadcaster,' from the field. But he had cool moments, too – like the time a dad held his cellphone up to Goldberg's face so his wife could listen to Goldberg's call of their daughter's game. 
 
The support from his father and brother as he got this dream off the ground, and the encouragement, teamwork, advice and trust he's received from countless people over the years, are the things that truly stick out to Goldberg. 
 
"If any of those people had said no it can't be done or wasn't willing to help in those moments, would I still have gone through with it? I don't know. Every moment, every time somebody chooses the path of kindness is something that can help you on your way," Goldberg said. 
 
Taking time to reflect on the milestone made Goldberg think of how many people helped him get to this point. He thanked those currently in roles which contribute to the broadcasts at UTRGV, including Michael Rodriguez and Julissa Martinez, and "the literally hundreds of people who have worked on our production staff over the years." He mentioned Bryan Smith, Danny Elizondo, Jaeda Rael and others who have been his broadcast partners at one time or another. 
 
Smith and Goldberg have been calling UTRGV contests together for 12 years and developed a partnership in every sense of the word. They're good friends when the headsets are off, and Smith called Goldberg someone who is thoughtful and "very, very careful in making sure he cares for the needs of everyone around him." Smith has done over 850 UTRGV broadcasts and many of those have been paired with Goldberg. They've learned each other's cues and tendencies and work together seamlessly on the fly. 
 
"We can almost hear each other breathe," Smith said. "I know what Jonah's voice sounds like when he's getting to the end of a breath so I know I can step in and not step over him. Jonah has a way of saying, 'I want you to look that up,' without saying it on air, so I know when to check a stat or a record. Working with a partner is the best thing you can do in broadcasting – it gives us a lot of flexibility and we have someone to riff off of.
 
"[Reaching this milestone] is a great testament not only to his longevity, but also to what a fantastic broadcaster he is as the voice of the Vaqueros," Smith continued. "Being able to enjoy the success of UTRGV together and to have our voices be a part of the history of athletics has been a great privilege for me." 

 

Goldberg got his start as a professional broadcaster in 2007. The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings (United League Baseball) offered him his first job on March 27 when he was a senior at Boston University (BU). He began working with legacy institution UTPA in the 2007-08 athletic year, calling home basketball games and a few road games on the radio. Goldberg also did color commentary on a volunteer basis with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA G-League) and the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (Central Hockey League) when he moved to south Texas. He chased every opportunity he could to get experience on the air – something he'd been doing since his freshman year at BU. 
 
Goldberg recalled sitting in his very first informational meeting for BU's student-run radio station, WTBU, in the fall of 2003 and hearing the hard and fast rule that freshmen don't call games. 
 
"When I heard that, that was a frustrating moment, but then I thought, 'I'm just going to have to show that I deserve it,'" he said. "At the end of the first semester, one of the seniors said, 'WTBU Sports is what you make it. You will get out of it what you put into it.' That's something that stuck with me and I've used on other people." 
 
WTBU had a large student involvement, so the norm was to work 10 games per semester. Goldberg counted his first semester's game and realized it was 10 on the dot. "I was exactly average and I did not like that," Goldberg reflected. Two things came from that realization: Goldberg signed up to work 50 games in the spring semester and he started counting his broadcasts. He now has a detailed Excel sheet that shows how many games he has called every year, dating back to 2001-02. The document is broken down by his broadcast role – play-by-play, color commentary, studio, on-site analysis, or sideline reporter – over the last 25+ years, sorted by organization from 2006-11, and by sport for all of his UTRGV broadcasts since 2015. 
 
Goldberg's determination to do everything resulted in him being the first student trained to use a new studio WTBU added in the spring of 2004. He said he was "busting my tail to make sure I was seen and to show I deserved something," and the hard work was worth it when Goldberg got the call to do color for a women's lacrosse game against Brown on a Wednesday afternoon in April 2004. 
 
"I froze and said, 'Wait, I thought freshmen don't call games?' And the answer I was given was, you've earned it. So, I talked to my professor and explained the opportunity and asked if I could miss class and she said OK. That next fall I was on the call for soccer. I was still doing studio stuff, too, it was important to do both, but I got places faster than what I was told was normal," Goldberg said. 
 
That can-do attitude carried Goldberg through a rollercoaster start to his professional career. He weathered the ups and downs of independent baseball and the tumultuous early years of the Vipers. He shared his time with the teams, often working 14 hour days as he spent 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at his full-time job with the Vipers before driving to Harlingen to call baseball games at 7 p.m., returning home around 11 p.m. just to do it all again the next day during crossover season. After five years, he was forced to choose between the organizations and decided to stay with the Vipers. 
 
He did his last radio call of a WhiteWings game on July 31, 2011. The WhiteWings were hosting San Angelo, two teams bound for the divisional championship series. San Angelo loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 10^th and somehow, the WhiteWings got out of the jam unscathed. The WhiteWings won on a walk-off single after a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning. 
 
"I'll never forget [the San Angelo] broadcaster comes over to me during the commercial break before the bottom of the 10^th and he said, 'This is your day. This is the first time all year we have loaded the bases and not scored.' And I got a big smile on my face," Goldberg reminisced. "Rather than having that teary-eyed goodbye that you might have when you're ending after a five-season run, it was the most exciting way to close out a career and I loved every minute of it. If you have to have a final game, and you know it's going to be your final game, that should be the way it goes." 
 
A few months later, budget cuts in the Vipers organization led to Goldberg looking for a new job. He was recommended to then-UTPA director of athletics Chris King for the Director of Media Relations job, and he started on Nov. 18, 2011. At the time, Elizondo was broadcasting – and directing the camera courtside – for the university's basketball broadcasts. Elizondo shifted to oversee the statistics operations and Goldberg took the lead on broadcasts, but the two have enjoyed coming together every spring to call baseball games. 
 
"It's been quite the ride over the last 15 years. Jonah and I have called many memorable games together, including the sold-out game against Texas in 2022 and calling the Southland Conference Tournament at UTRGV Baseball Stadium last season. Those are memories that we have shared that can't be erased," Elizondo said. "I have been fortunate to have him as a broadcast partner and I want to wish him a huge congratulations on reaching this milestone." 
 
Goldberg is in a unique position to handle both the typical athletic communicator responsibilities and be the broadcast voice for the athletic department. What the two roles help him do is bring to life the stories of the Vaqueros. 
 
"When I think about my why, it's telling impactful stories. Whether it's in media relations or in broadcasting, I have that ability and opportunity to tell impactful stories, and I love that," Goldberg said. 
 
With nearly 1,100 UTRGV broadcasts under his belt, Goldberg has been a part of countless memorable moments. But he has an immediate answer to the question of which is his favorite. 
 
"When I look back through my favorite broadcast moments at this university, it is so very clearly Andy Fortuna's walk-off home run [on May 11, 2014]," Goldberg said – a memory that Elizondo also named as a standout call the duo has shared. "He hit a double as a freshman and that was his only career extra-base hit. He grew up with his grandma, and entering that final home weekend, his grandma had never seen him play college baseball.

"She's in attendance. It's Senior Day. And it's Mother's Day. Fortuna comes up with a runner on first, two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and the game is scoreless. Sacramento State has the best closer in the conference on the mound. Fortuna hits a walk-off home run," Goldberg recalled with noticeable joy in his voice. "Not a dry eye in the house. That was the most incredible moment, and knowing the story behind it made it so special." 
 
He doesn't only tell stories, but he helps others do so, too. Goldberg has consistently offered mentorship and advice to UTRGV students, including Rael, who is in her second year serving as the sideline reporter for the Vaqueros. Rael's first few broadcasts with Goldberg, providing color commentary to his play-by-play for UTRGV Volleyball, had some tough moments. Goldberg was supportive and patient as he helped Rael find her voice, which led to the student being selected to do sideline reporting at the Southland Conference (SLC) Basketball Championships. 
 
"Since Day 1, Jonah let me know he was in my corner. He told me if I wanted to make a future here, he would help me do it," Rael said. "I didn't have the best start in my broadcast journey, but he gave me chances to redeem myself and find my own confidence. Without him and his early mentorship, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near as far as I am. He gives me critiques, a lot of feedback, and even storylines, to help me grow in every way possible. He's always been a person I know is trying to help me grow." 
 
Goldberg's mission to tell stories and teach the next wave of broadcasters and athletic communicators stems from those times when others helped him find his voice. He pays their kindness forward with a passion that inspires those around him. His love of sports and care for UTRGV Athletics is evident in every broadcast call and every lesson he shares. 
 
The passion, dedication and joy Goldberg brings to the mic has been appreciated by Vaqueros fans and beyond for 25 years. The production and reach of his broadcasts has vastly improved since he was a teenager in the stands with a tape recorder and a dream, all thanks to the work ethic he leads with. As his list of broadcasts continues to grow, the special and historic moments will, too, but for Goldberg, the heart of it all always comes back to the people by his side. 


 
"Two thousand broadcasts, it's a huge number. It's certainly an accomplishment to make it this far," Goldberg said. "I couldn't have done it without the help of all the people behind the scenes. I've had a lot of broadcast partners, a lot of producers and directors and camera operations, etc., and regardless of what their role was, every single one of them, I wouldn't be here without them. Mentors, friends, family, I couldn't have accomplished this without them, and from the bottom of my heart I say thank you."

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