Read on to learn how Mets announcer Gary Cohen got his dream job, how much he makes, where he lives, and why he doesn’t use social media.
Gary Cohen’s baritone voice is heard by millions of people when he announces Mets baseball games. Despite this, the New York-born play-by-play announcer describes himself as a “radio guy who now works TV for the majority of the year.” Read Gary Cohen’s fascinating and humbling biography to learn how he obtained his ideal job years after graduating from college and never looked back. Gary Cohen, for the record, has elected not to use any social networking platforms.
FACTS ABOUT GARY COHEN
| FULL NAME | Gary Cohen |
| REAL NAME | Gary Cohen |
| ALSO KNOWN AS | The Voice of the New York Mets |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 29 April 1958 |
| ASTROLOGICAL SIGN | Taurus |
| BIRTHPLACE | Queens, New York |
| CURRENT RESIDENCE | Connecticut |
| NATIONALITY | American |
| ETHNICITY | Caucasian |
| HEIGHT | 5 feet 8 inches / 1.74 metres |
| OCCUPATION | New York Mets play-by-play announcer |
| YEARS ACTIVE | 1983 – Present |
| EDUCATION | Columbia University |
| DEGREE | B.S Political Science |
| YEARS AS BROADCASTER | 1989-2014 |
| YEARS AS TV BROADCASTER | 2015-2019 |
| MARITAL STATUS | Married to Lynn Cohen |
| SPOUSE | Lynn Cohen |
| CHILDREN | 5-Trevor, Kira, Jess, Jaclyn and Zach |
| SEXUAL ORIENTATION | Straight |
| PETS | 3 dogs: Wryly, Cubby and Angie |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | Gary Cohen is officially not on any social media |
NET WORTH OF GARY COHEN
| ESTIMATED NET WORTH IN 2020 | $1 Million – $5 Million |
| PREVIOUS YEAR’S NET WORTH (2019) | $100,000- $1 Million |
| ANNUAL SALARY | $150,000 – $200,000 |
| INCOME SOURCE | His profession as a sports announcer |
WHERE DOES GARY COHEN GET HIS MONEY?
The average income for a sportscaster is $55,000, according to PayScale. The top 10% of sportscasters in the profession make more than $200,000.
Gary Cohen has more than 30 years of experience as a sports play-by-play announcer, and he is already a runner-up in Sports Illustrated’s 2017 Top 25 Play-by-Play Broadcasters in Sports.
As a result, we can estimate that Gary Cohen makes between $150,000 and $200,000 per year based on his expertise and skill.
CAR ASSETS, GARY COHEN HOUSE
Gary Cohen and his wife Lynn identify themselves as “homebodies.” In Connecticut, they appear to live a comfortable but basic existence. Gary Cohen’s days were spent with domestic duties like potting dirt into plants, ‘pooper-scooping’ the backyard (he has two Great Danes), and doing the laundry when NorthJersey checked in on him recently during the quarantine.
His home, automobiles, and other valuables remain unknown.
GARY COHEN LIVES IN WHAT CITY?
Gary Cohen and his wife Lynn live in Connecticut with their five children Trevor, Kira, Jess, Jaclyn, and Zach, as well as their pets.
GARY COHEN’S EARLY LIFE AND CHILDHOOD
Gary Cohen was born in 1958 and reared in Kew Gardens, Queens, near Shea Stadium and the Grand Central Parkway.
He received a desk-model AM radio for his 9th birthday, which proved to be life-changing.
Gary informed SportsNet New York that with this AM radio beside his bedside, he was listening to Mets baseball games, which he was told about in particular by Bob Murphy, the Mets’ announcer at the time. He was enthralled by the prospect of delivering the complete game to individuals who couldn’t see it for themselves.
EDUCATION / CAREER START OF GARY COHEN
Gary went to Columbia University to study Political Science after graduating from high school, although he spent most of his time at the school’s radio station. Cohen explains, “I was a radio man long before I was a TV guy.” He got a job performing radio play-by-play for practically all sports while at university, including baseball, football, basketball, and soccer.
THE NEW YORK METS AND GARY COHEN
Gary Cohen was granted the opportunity of a lifetime in 1989, when he was offered a job as a play-by-play announcer for METS baseball on WFAM station. There, he was able to work with Bob Murphy, one of his boyhood heroes. “I worked on the radio with Bob Murphy for 15 years,” Gary Cohen explains. And there were a lot of instances when I sat in the booth thinking to myself, ‘This is incredible.’ I’m sitting next to Bob Murphy, who I used to listen to when I was seven years old, and we’re working together.’
Gary says he had to learn to talk less, look better, and draw ideas from his announcing colleagues when he transitioned from radio to television.
Gary Cohen is well deserving of every title and accolade he has received as the Mets voice, even after decades on the job.
According to Dave Howard, the Mets’ Executive Vice President of Business Operations, “Gary is the voice of the Mets now, succeeding legendary announcers like Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner.”
GARY COHEN, KEITH HERNANDEZ, AND RON DARLING are on SNY: SPORTSNET NEW YORK.
Gary Cohen has spent 15 years in the SportsNet New York booth, with analysts and former Mets teammates Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez, calling Mets broadcasts (games). Gary Cohen is described by Ron Darling as precise in his preparation and a hard worker.“caretaker of Mets history.”
The three guys have a solid reputation as one of baseball’s best announcing teams throughout the years. Gary Cohen believes there is synergy between the three of them when asked by SNY what makes their trio distinctive. He also claims that their booth has a “no-ego” atmosphere, which he concedes is rare for television. Gary also recounts how, when they first met, their common lack of television experience proved to be a boon. He declares, “We all knew we were dependent on each other, and that helped make it a real collaborative enterprise.”
Gary Cohen signed a multi-year contract with SNY in 2016, ensuring the continuation of the renowned triumvirate.
SETON HALL AND GARY COHEN
Gary Cohen is the play-by-play announcer for the Seton Hall men’s basketball team in addition to his work with the Mets.
Gary’s employment as Seton Hall’s play-by-play apparently fulfills the radio person in him, despite his passion for SNY. Gary still considers himself a radio man, despite announcing Mets games since 2006. “who now does TV for the main part of the year.”
He claims that the difference between radio and television is that with radio, you get to choose what to talk about, what to look at, what order to do it in, and how the game is presented overall. He claims that television is more of a team activity because you can’t control what the cameramen show. He declares, “All I control is my piece of a much larger puzzle that goes into presenting a game all day.”
Gary Cohen has been calling Seton Games alongside his colleague Dave Popkin for the past 17 years. This duo is regarded as a top-tier broadcast combo.
According to Dave Popkin, “The key to our success is we enjoy each other and respect each other, and like going to work. I hope that comes across on air.”
The humorous thing is that Gary Cohen enjoys his work as Seton Hall’s radio play-by-play announcer. He tells APP about it (Asbury Park Press), “This is my fun job. Baseball is my job and it pays my bills and I love baseball and it’s great. But—don’t tell my boss—I would do this (Seton Hall basketball) for free. I do this because it’s fun.”
BASEBALL VS. BASKETBALL: GARY COHEN’S OPINION
Gary knows the difference between baseball and basketball because to his two primary occupations as a play-by-play TV announcer for the Mets and a play-by-play voice for the Seton Hall Men’s Basketball team.
According to NorthJersey.com, he says: “You’ve got baseball, which is now a three-and-a-half hour game with eight minutes of action, and then college basketball, which is a two-hour game with almost incessant action.”
VOICE AND TRADEMARK PHRASES OF GARY COHEN
Gary Cohen is recognized for his powerful, clear middle-lower-register voice, which can swiftly rise octaves. Columbia Magazine defines it as the voice of unassuming leadership — deliberative, quick-witted, diagnostic, and inflected with the subtle wryness of a consummate man – on air alongside his colleagues Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling.
When a player hits a home run, Gary Cohen is known to shout, “It’s outta here!” on television.
He’s also used a couple words that he’s repeated from radio to television. For example: “And a pleasant good afternoon/evening, everybody”, which he says before the beginning of every game.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO GARY COHEN?
Gary Cohen stated in an interview with North Jersey that he has two seasons: the winter and baseball season. “When the season starts, I’m all in,” he says. When the season doesn’t go well, I’m done.” He is presently residing at home with his 45-year-old wife Lynn.
Gary’s season runs from March to October, with a break in between. It’s like a light switch to him, and he’s been waiting for it to turn on.
Gary, who turned 62 in April, says he has no regrets. “Baseball and play-by-play will be back when it’s back.”
TWITTER: GARY COHEN
Gary Cohen is officially not on Twitter, which is extremely rare. Gary Cohen has two Twitter profiles that look to be his, although they appear to have been made by admirers.
Many people find this hard to believe because almost every sports commentator/sportscaster, as well as anybody in the sports and media industry, has a Twitter account.
There was no tag on his account when The New York Mets wished him a happy birthday on Twitter, so we assume this is correct.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND GARY COHEN
Gary Cohen, believe it or not, has no social media profile. Gary Cohen has not joined the bandwagon, according to this NorthJersey story, despite the fact that many broadcasters have tried to keep new and current on social media.