SAN JOSE, Calif. – For the second consecutive year, the San Jose Earthquakes and Comcast SportsNet have announced their most comprehensive regional television schedule in the team’s history. Comcast SportsNet (CSN) will televise 29 Earthquakes games in 2013 in High Definition. With the five remaining games televised nationally, the Earthquakes will have all of their games on television in 2013 for the second straight year.
In addition to the schedule, the Earthquakes also announced their broadcast team for the 2013 season. Jim Kozimor will return to the play-by-play booth for his fourth season and be joined by color analyst and former Quakes defender Kelly Gray. Dan Dibley will return as the sideline reporter for all home matches and will handle play-by-play duties for away games. Dan is also a sports talk radio host for 95.7 The Game.
“We are thrilled to work with Comcast SportsNet and our national broadcast partners to ensure our fans are able to watch all of our 34 regular season matches in High Definition,” said Earthquakes President Dave Kaval. “Comcast SportsNet has been a tremendous partner over the years and we’re looking forward to having Jim Kozimor, and Kelly Gray back in the booth at Buck Shaw. The club is also excited to have Dan Dibley doing play-by-play for our road games in 2013.”
The Quakes’ telecast schedule begins on Comcast SportsNet California with their home opener against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, March 3 at 7 p.m. PT. Among the marquee games is the Earthquakes’ June 29 match against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium, presented by XFINITY. That match drew a capacity crowd of 50,391 for a thrilling 4-3 comeback win for San Jose in 2012.
San Jose will appear on Comcast SportsNet California 23 times with one game on CSN Bay Area and four on CSN Plus. Four of those matches will also be broadcast nationally on Spanish-language flagship Unimas. The Earthquakes will also play on ESPN or ESPN2 three times and NBC Sports Network twice.
Comcast SportsNet California Vice President and General Manager Larry Eldridge added, “The Earthquakes are one of the premier franchises in MLS with one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in the league. We are pleased to present our most comprehensive Quakes telecast schedule to date along with season-long news and analysis on SportsNet Central, Chronicle Live and SportsNet Reports.”
Kozimor, a veteran sports broadcaster for more than 20 years, begins his fourth season as the play-by-play announcer for home Quakes broadcasts. One of the most versatile announcers in the industry, he is an anchor/host on Comcast SportsNet’s signature programs Chronicle Live, Raiders Postgame Live and Raiders Press Conference Live. He also hosts Xfinity Sports Sunday on NBC Bay Area and handles evening sports reports on NBC Bay Area. His play-by-play duties on CSN have included college basketball and football for the Pac-12, college basketball for the WCC, Major League Lacrosse and World Team Tennis. During both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, Kozimor was the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports’ coverage of Olympic badminton from China and London. He was a long-time television/radio broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings and Sacramento Monarchs. Before that, he was an announcer with the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons. Kozimor will also host MLS matches on The NBC Sports Network in 2013.
Gray, who was born in Palo Alto, Calif., begins his second full season as the color analyst for the Earthquakes after appearing on select Quakes radio and television broadcasts the previous two seasons. He spent parts of three seasons in the organization as a player; in 2005 after arriving from the Chicago Fire via trade, and then again from 2008-09. He made 41 appearances in a Quakes jersey, drawing 34 starts and providing one goal and two assists as a defender and midfielder. He was an integral part of the Quakes Supporters’ Shield run in 2005. Gray’s playing career spanned eight years after being drafted in 2002 by the Chicago Fire and he appeared in a total of 160 matches for five MLS clubs. He won an MLS Cup with the Houston Dynamo in 2006. Gray was an All-American at the University of Portland.
A 17-year veteran of local television and radio, Dibley will broadcast every game on Comcast SportsNet this season.. He’ll be on the sidelines at home and serve as play-by-play announcer on the road. He is also a co-host on 95.7 The Game’s The Rise Guys morning radio show. Additionally, he was the lead play-by-play voice for high school sports telecasts on Comcast Hometown Network and the play-by-play announcer for the San Jose SaberCats. He spent 12 years as a physical education instructor and youth soccer coach in Marin County. Dibley is a Bay Area native who lives in Oakland with his wife, Chanda, and two children.
For a full schedule, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/schedule.
About Comcast Sports Group
Comcast Sports Group, part of the NBC Sports Group, consists of 14 local networks that deliver 2,400 sporting events annually and breaking news and analysis to more than 50 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast Sports Group’s sports networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, CSS and Comcast Sports Southwest. Comcast Sports Group also manages NECN (New England Cable News), the nation’s largest regional news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.
