COLUMBUS, Ohio — A game at the Horseshoe is always a memorable experience, but you may not have noticed the voice of Ohio Stadium and all he does to make game day great. 

What You Need To Know

  • Tom Snyder is in his first year as the PA announcer at Ohio Stadium

  • Bob Kennedy was the long-time voice of Ohio Stadium before passing away earlier this year

  • Snyder went through an audition process to get the job

  • Snyder says he is proud to be the one to fill Kennedy's long-time seat 

There’s a lot more than meets the ear to being the voice of Ohio Stadium.

“It’s pretty detailed," Tom Snyder, the new voice of Ohio Stadium said. "90 minutes out it’s broken down to the second.”

This is Snyder's bird's eye view each home game at the Horseshoe (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

And Tom Snyder is learning just that in his first season as the public address announcer at the Horseshoe. Snyder arrives to every home game nearly four hours before kickoff to go through his 70-page game script.

“A lot of the reads, you know, they’re timed," Snyder said. "So you got to move.”

Snyder has to keep a close eye on what's happening on the field to make sure he announces the correct players (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

And it’s more than just football, it’s also making sure sponsors and special guests are being recognized.

“Every time there’s an opportunity to recognize either a corporate sponsor or doing a fifty-fifty. It’s pretty intense," he said.

Snyder came across the job after the sad news broke that longtime PA Announcer Bob Kennedy had passed away. Snyder says he’s proud to be the one to fill his long-time seat.

The booth is dedicated to long-time PA announcer Bob Kennedy who passed away earlier this year (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

“He’s an icon here at the stadium, doing it for 23 years," Snyder said of Kennedy. "The booth now’s got his name on it. It’s just, it’s an incredible opportunity that I’m humbled to have.”

While Snyder is still working through first-year kinks, he’s making sure his voice is up to the task week in and week out.

“I drank the press box out of hot water the first couple of weeks," Snyder said.

He says he’s grateful to be doing what he loves for the team that he loves.

“I was just overcome with emotion," he said. "I’m a huge Ohio State fan, this means a lot. Just to think that I’m a small part of people’s Saturday afternoons and evenings being the voice of Ohio State Stadium is awesome.”