Calling the shots Calling the shots Calling the shots

It doesn’t matter that Elise Woodward, ’97, was born in Eugene in that state below Washington. She left her home state after high school to come to the University of Washington for college and has bled purple and gold ever since. She played four years for the Husky women’s basketball team (reaching the NCAA tournament three times) and was team captain her senior year. And when she hung up her sneakers, she went into sports broadcasting and has been a sports broadcaster for more than 30 years—many of those covering the Huskies.

No wonder she was named the new play-by-play voice for Husky football after Tony Castricone left after nine years to become the voice of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Having the opportunity to be the voice of University of Washington football is the honor of my lifetime,” Woodward says. “As a Dawg, I take so much pride in the rich history and tradition of Husky football I am so thankful for the last 23 seasons that I spent on the sidelines, but I’m also beyond excited to trade in my rain gear for the warmth of the Bob Rondeau radio booth.” 

It is believed that she is the first woman to be the full-time play-by-play broadcaster for a major college football team. 

Elise Woodward speaks to Edefuan Ulofoshio (left) and Alphonzo Tuptala after the Huskies won the 2023 Pac-12 championship.

Her broadcasting bona fides will make your head spin. She’s been a play-by-play voice for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament for more than a decade. She is also currently the voice of the WNBA’s Portland Fire and has served as the Huskies football sideline reporter for more than two decades. And that’s not to mention broadcasting for the Seattle Storm and Seattle SuperSonics. She spent the past two years with FOX, FS1 and the Big Ten Network, calling women’s and men’s basketball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, gymnastics and lacrosse. She also hosted her own sports talk radio show in Seattle for more than a decade. 

Her UW connection started long ago when she took her recruiting trip to UW as a high school senior. “I had the chance to meet Don James in his office,” she recalls. “He told me, ‘I hope you become a Husky.’ I couldn’t believe he took the time to say hi. Now, decades later, it is a full-circle moment to get this opportunity to call UW football.” 

She will make her debut on Sept. 6 as the Huskies open the regular season against Washington State in the Boeing Apple Cup at Husky Stadium. 

Says Brandon Forbis, general manager of Huskies Sports Properties: “Elise’s passion for Washington sports coupled with her incredible talent and proven knowledge makes her the perfect person to lead our broadcasts into this next era of Husky Football.”