{{Short description|American sportscaster}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} '''Paul Keels''' is the current play-by-play announcer for Ohio State University's football and men's basketball teams for WBNS Radio and the Ohio State Sports Network.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112310aae.html|title=Paul Keels: Thoughts from the Booth|date=November 23, 2010}}</ref>
A native of Cincinnati, Keels began his broadcasting career in his hometown as a news anchor/reporter for WLW Radio in 1979. The following year, he moved to Detroit to work for WJR Radio to call games for the NBA Detroit Pistons (1980–1981), and then to WWJ Radio to call football and basketball for the University of Michigan from 1981–1987.<ref>[http://pressprosmagazine.com/paul-keels-sounds-like-the-buckeyes Paul Keels sounds like the Buckeyes - Press Pros Magazine]</ref>
Following a year at UPI Radio Network in Washington DC, Keels returned to Cincinnati in 1988 to become the voice of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and host a sports talk show on WCKY-AM. From 1992–1995, he hosted a morning news show on WHIO Radio in Dayton. In 1994, he again became play-by-play voice for the University of Cincinnati. In 1996, he started to do play-by-play duties for the Bengals. Following the 1996 football season, WLW's parent company, Jacor Communications, lost the rights to the Bengals, and Keels continued broadcasting football and basketball for the University of Cincinnati. He joined WBNS radio and the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buckeyes101.com/2011/05/19/ohio-states-paul-keels-named-2011-nssa-ohio-sportscaster-of-the-year/ |title=Ohio State's Paul Keels Named 2011 NSSA Ohio Sportscaster Of The Year {{!}} Buckeyes 101 {{!}} Sports Media 101 |website=www.buckeyes101.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212605/http://www.buckeyes101.com/2011/05/19/ohio-states-paul-keels-named-2011-nssa-ohio-sportscaster-of-the-year/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref>
Keels also worked for the Cincinnati Bengals as a preseason announcer on WKRC-TV from 2000–2010, and worked on the Cincinnati Reds television broadcasts for Fox Sports Ohio in 2010. He is also the author of ''Tales from the Buckeye Championship Season'', which recounts the Buckeyes' 2002 National Championship run.<ref>[http://sportsbroadcastjournal.com/paul-keels-21-years-calling-ohio-state-a-booming-voice-that-covers-the-buckeye-nation-like-a-blanket Paul Keels - 21 years of calling Ohio State... - Sports Broadcast Journal.com]</ref>
On November 5, 2023, Keels substituted as a radio play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Browns.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=George |title=Paul Keels, voice of Ohio State football, to announce Cleveland Browns game on radio |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/pro/browns/2023/11/02/paul-keels-voice-of-ohio-state-football-to-call-browns-game-on-radio/71422727007/ |website=USA Today |access-date=November 5, 2023}}</ref>
==Awards and honors== *Five-time NSMA Ohio Broadcaster of the Year (2007 - shared with Marty Brennaman, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2021)<ref>[http://nationalsportsmedia.org/awards/state-awards/ohio - Ohio award winners - National Sports Media Assoc. ]</ref> *Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame Inductee (class of 2007)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Truxell |first1=Scott |title=The man behind the mic: Paul Keels |url=https://www.thevwindependent.com/news/2018/08/14/keels-ready-for-new-osu-football-season/ |accessdate=November 18, 2019 |work=The Van Wert independent |date=August 14, 2018}}</ref>
==Personal life== Keels graduated from Moeller High School in Cincinnati, and studied communications at Xavier University.
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Keels, Paul}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American radio sports commentators Category:American television sports commentators Category:Cincinnati Bearcats football announcers Category:Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball Category:Cincinnati Bengals announcers Category:Cincinnati Reds announcers Category:College basketball announcers in the United States Category:Michigan Wolverines football announcers Category:Detroit Pistons announcers Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters Category:NBA broadcasters Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football announcers Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball announcers Category:Radio personalities from Cincinnati Category:Xavier University alumni Category:Moeller High School alumni