The Los Angeles sports activities world mourned the lack of one among its most beloved voices, Rolando “El Veloz” Gonzalez, the longtime Galaxy broadcaster and a pioneer of Spanish-language sports activities radio, who died June 25.
His legacy transcends generations on the microphone.
Gonzalez’s profession started nearly by accident. Though his dream was to play soccer, life had different plans for him and turned him right into a storyteller.
“One day on March 6, 1962, I was playing soccer in the local league and the radio play-by-play broadcaster who was assigned that game of my team Escuintla against Universidad, Dr. Otorrino Ríos Paredes, had a car accident,” Gonzalez recalled in 2017. “The owner of the station ran to tell me, ‘[get dressed, get dressed]’ and I replied, ‘Who are you to tell me to get dressed? Let the trainer tell me.’ He said, ‘I need you because they told me that you narrate soccer.’ I replied that I do that there among the guys.”
He later moved to Los Angeles, the place former Dodgers announcer Jaime Jarrín gave him his massive break through the 1984 Olympics.
“I met him, I think in 1984, shortly before the Olympics. I needed sportswriters for Spanish-language coverage and I was impressed with his stability, his knowledge, his diction and his voice time for soccer,” Jarrín informed L.A. Instances en Español. “He worked with me for three weeks, and that opened a lot of doors for him in Los Angeles.”
Jarrín’s name stunned him.
Associates and colleagues be part of Rolando “El Veloz” González, heart, in a broadcast sales space throughout a Galaxy match. He referred to as his final recreation on Could 31.
(Armando Aguayo)
“It was Jaime Jarrín,” González recalled. “He asked me if I narrated soccer and if I had experience in programs. He told me that a narrator for the Olympics was coming from Ecuador and he wanted to have [González ] from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on a program. I was leaving the factory at 4:30 p.m. all dirty with paint, and I couldn’t miss that opportunity.”
Jarrín highlights González’s dedication to ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 AM’s protection of the Galaxy, a group González lined in two lengthy stints wherein the group gained 5 of the six MLS Cup titles. The final recreation González referred to as a recreation was on Could 31, when the Galaxy gained their first recreation of this season in opposition to Actual Salt Lake at Dignity Well being Sports activities Park.
“He gave his all to the team, as I did to the Dodgers,” Jarrín mentioned. “His legacy is an example for young people. He defined what he wanted to be, and he did it with his heart, with 110% effort.”
Together with Hipolito Gamboa, González marked an period in radio with their “Hablando de Deportes” present on KTNQ-AM (1020) and finally on KWKW-AM (1330). The present centered totally on soccer and simply overshadowed different sports activities applications that attempted to repeat the format with a extra aggressive contact of their conversations.
The González and Gamboa duo offered a extra full evaluation with out being depending on fireworks.
“I always had something that made you laugh in the booths of ‘Hablando de Deportes,’” Gamboa mentioned. “It was not all good all the time, because there were moments of tension. That’s a reality, but we always ended well.”
Gamboa described González as somebody out of the extraordinary.
“He was one of the first to broadcast soccer in the United States. His unique style, his energy, his speed … no one has equaled him,” Gamboa mentioned. “That’s why they called him ‘El Veloz’ [‘The Swift’].”
They labored collectively broadcasting Gold Cups, Liga MX matches and worldwide matches. Regardless of his severe voice, Gamboa highlighted González’s cheerful character.
“He narrated with impressive clarity at an amazing speed. People recognized him by his voice,” Gamboa mentioned. “At a party, my little daughter, just 1 year old at the time, heard him speak and said, ‘Goal!’ because we grew up hearing him narrate at the Rose Bowl, at Azteca Stadium, in so many booths.”
Armando Aguayo, who grew to become González’s boss, mentioned he was greater than a colleague.
“He was my teacher. What I know about narration, I learned from him,” Aguayo mentioned. “He taught me how to get into the narrator’s rhythm, not to interrupt, to adapt to his speed. He was demanding, but formative.”
Aguayo fondly remembers the 2 levels he shared with González, first as his producer at “Deportes en Acción 1330” after which as teammates within the second golden period of the Galaxy below Bruce Enviornment.
Armando Aguayo, who grew to become Rolando González’s boss, mentioned he was greater than a colleague: “He taught me how to get into the narrator’s rhythm, not to interrupt, to adapt to his speed. He was demanding, but formative.”
(Armando Aguayo)
“We narrated together the finals, the titles, the big games,” Aguayo mentioned. “And off the air, we talked about family, about the future of radio, about life.”
Based on Aguayo, who calls LAFC and Clippers video games, González had admirable self-discipline.
“He would arrive an hour early, prepare, make lists with lineups,” Aguayo mentioned.
Throughout his profession González, referred to as World Cups, Olympic Video games, Pan American Video games, video games of his beloved Guatemala nationwide group, in addition to the U.S. nationwide group. He lined soccer, baseball, basketball and soccer.
“The only thing he didn’t narrate was golf, because he said it bored him,” Aguayo mentioned, laughing. “But he even narrated a marbles contest in Guatemala.”
González was generally known as an ideal storyteller.
“He would always say, ‘Let me tell you, in such-and-such a year … and he would give you exact dates.’ He was a historian with a storyteller’s voice,” Aguayo mentioned.
Past professionalism, Gonzalez left a deep human imprint.
“We called him ‘Don Rolis’ [and] ‘Papa Smurf.’ He was like everybody’s dad. Always with a kind comment, always concerned about others,” Aguayo recalled.
Rolando González, left, joins Armando Aguayo whereas calling a Galaxy recreation.
(Armando Aguayo)
González was nonetheless energetic till a number of weeks in the past. He referred to as the Galaxy’s final recreation in opposition to Actual Salt Lake.
“He arrived two hours early, prepared his tecito, sat down to narrate and when he finished, he got up and left, as usual,” Aguayo mentioned. “That was Rolando. Professional, punctual and simple.”
“He told me, ‘I’m fine. Thank you for your call. It’s very helpful to me. You’re one of the few who called me.’ He told me about the future, about his family,” Aguayo mentioned. “Even in his last days, he was thinking of others.”
For Jarrín, González represented the picture of the hard-working immigrant, the passionate communicator, the devoted skilled.
“He never caused problems. He always served the Hispanic community in Southern California with interest. His voice will remain engraved in our memories, and his legacy will live on in every young person who wants to dedicate themselves to sports broadcasting,” Jarrín mentioned.
González’s voice will now not resonate within the stadiums, however his echo will dwell on within the recollections of his colleagues and within the ardour of those that listened to him.
“I was deeply hurt by his passing, because we were great friends,” Jarrín mentioned. “We had a lot of mutual respect, and I liked him very much from the beginning because of his simplicity and his responsibility in everything. So I think that sports fans, and particularly soccer fans, will miss him very much. … He served the Hispanic community in Southern California with a lot of interest, with a lot of enthusiasm. And I will miss him very, very much indeed.”
This text first appeared in Spanish by way of L.A. Instances en Español.
