At midcourt, Michael Veley knows he may have the best seat in the house. “Pretty good, huh?” he said before a Syracuse tip-off Feb. 9 against Boston College.

He sets up a makeshift command center for each game. With a microphone attached to him, Veley sucks on cough drops to soothe his throat. A yellow marker, bottle of water and a roster with three columns — each player’s number, name and phonetic pronunciation — lie around him.

A former athletic administrator, Veley has been Syracuse’s “Voice of the Carrier Dome” since 2006. He’s called home men’s basketball and football games every season since. He understands he’s a public-address announcer, not a full-on supporter. The public-address announcer — historically a measured voice — takes the role of enthusiastic supporter designed to uplift the crowd. Veley brings a more traditional tone to the Dome’s sound system.

He’s not a screamer, but he indulges himself occasionally when it comes to big SU runs or the 70-point mark, at which point he clears his throat and declares “Taco time!,” where all fans in attendance get tacos from Taco Bell. Usually, he tries to convey a tone of warmth and respect, while injecting some life into the Dome crowd that usually contains north of 20,000 fans.

“I grew up a Syracuse fan, so this truly is an opportunity that I cherish,” said Veley, a native of Mannsville.

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Veley has been public address announcer for men’s lacrosse and women’s basketball games, too. He takes 10 to 12 hours to prepare for football games, he said. He learns the roster and potential schemes. Basketball requires less prep work because the rosters are much smaller. Before games, he arrives about two hours early to set up shop. Regardless of the event, he prioritizes the crispness of his diction.

He doesn’t keep score or jot down many notes, but he watches the action intently. He’s focused less on larger game trends and more on who did what on a given play. The instant a player knocks down a shot or records a foul, Veley’s authoritative voice emanates from the Carrier Dome speakers. During timeouts, he leads on-court promotions and sponsored promotions.

In the early 2000s, Veley had worked at the Carrier Dome alongside Carl Eilenberg, a Syracuse University alumnus and the “Voice of the Carrier Dome” since it opened in 1980. Veley worked near him as the in-stadium host. Soon, Eilenberg called Veley “Mr. Excitement” and Veley’s role slowly grew. He soon began doing starting lineups for teams. When Eilenberg retired, former Director of Athletics Darryl Gross’ administration asked him, “Should we have open auditions?”

“You got the guy right here,” Eilenberg remembered saying, as he referred to Veley. “This is the guy to do the game. He understands it. He’s professional.”

Veley’s first-ever game, in 2006, featured SU football versus Iowa. Iowa dressed 124 players, so there were 25 double numbers. “In the heat of the game, you’re like, ‘Which 24 made the tackle?’” Veley said. “So that was a lesson: You can’t prepare hard enough and long enough.”

Veley’s voice scored the regular-season runs for both the men’s lacrosse and basketball to respective national title games. He savors the big SU moments. He watches every play closely, but he doesn’t always remember the specifics after the game.

“You just don’t forget those little moments that are etched into your memory,” Veley said. “There’s times when I’ll go home and my wife will ask me a question, ‘What happened on this play here?’ You obviously see it, you’re describing it, but there’s so many things going on.

“There’s no time to catch your breath,” he added. “It’s just boom, boom, boom, boom.”

Before games, Veley joins a production meeting in which operations employees meet with the officials. After a pair of SU free throws, he says: “Deuce for the ‘Cuse!” When SU senior point guard Frank Howard drained a 3-pointer last month, he proclaimed: “For three!” elongating the “e” at the end.

“He doesn’t know the effect he has on us in the game,” Howard said. “He doesn’t know the effect he has on the recruits or the fans. He’s a part of this experience.”

At the conclusion of every game, Veley reads off the final stats and leaders. Then, he leaves fans with the same departing words: “Thank you for your attendance tonight, travel home safely and enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Published on March 4, 2019 at 12:37 am

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21