For nearly four decades, Greg Papa’s voice has been the soundtrack to Bay Area sports. Now, as he fights the biggest battle of his life, that same community he’s spent a career narrating is rallying around him.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Mercury News’ Cam Inman shared an update after visiting Papa in the hospital, writing that there is “a lotta love for Papa” and asking fans to keep rallying behind him with prayers and support.
Papa, 63, has been hospitalized at UCSF with advanced heart failure, just days after securing his broadcasting comeback with a new KNBR midday show called “Lunch With Papa.” He addressed the setback directly, according to The San Francisco Standard.
“A week after that beautiful night in Novato, I experienced another health setback. My genetic heart condition, cardiomyopathy, has greatly worsened due to the bone marrow transplant. The Advanced Heart Failure team at UCSF performed a diagnostic procedure Tuesday morning for a clearer picture of the condition of the heart.”
Papa’s health battle began before last season, when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia affecting his brain and spinal column. He spent 78 days in the hospital, including time in an induced coma, after dealing with two collapsed lungs, and pneumonia. A bone marrow transplant in March put the cancer into remission, but Papa said it also worsened his genetic cardiomyopathy, diagnosed in 2023.
Doctors are now looking at several ways to manage his worsening heart condition, including medication, an LVAD or potentially a heart transplant.
Papa was initially let go by KNBR amid his fight with cancer. He told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch how the disease was “unfair,” and how it affected him physically, mentally, and financially. Not having a job to come back to is tough news to deal with for anybody.
He was re-hired on September 10, after also landing a role in NBC Sports Bay Area as a studio analyst for the opener against the Los Angeles Rams. However, he will now have to pause these plans once again.
Greg Papa has catered to the Warriors, the A’s, the Giants, the Raiders, and the 49ers, a résumé longtime KNBR host Brian Murphy summed up plainly when Papa first revealed his cancer diagnosis last year.
“Greg is not just our teammate at The Sports Leader, he’s one of the most iconic play-by-play men in the history of our beloved Bay Area. Nobody else has done the Warriors, Raiders, Giants, A’s and 49ers like Greg, so he has a unique gift of connecting with our audience across the board.”
That connection was built over decades on the air, starting with the Warriors in 1986, moving through two decades as the beloved radio voice of the Raiders, where his signature call of “TOUCHDOWN, RRRRAID-ERS!!!” became part of franchise lore, before he took over the 49ers’ booth in 2019 with his own version, “TOUCHDOWN, SAN-FRAN-CISCO!” Along the way, he earned three California Sportscaster of the Year awards and a spot in the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.
Papa’s steadiness under pressure became national news in 2006, when fellow broadcaster Dave Flemming’s microphone suddenly went dead for ten seconds during Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 715th home run. Papa smoothly picked up the call without missing a beat.
That trust, built over decades, explains the outpouring of support since his hospitalization became public.
“As a relative of a one-time transplant survivor, I have great empathy for the family,” one comment read. “You are stuck between hope, realism and worry. Prayers up for him and everyone in his family.”
“We’re all rooting for Papa. Love that you got his Niners analysis in this, Cam. Greg’s one of the best at discerning keys to the game and spotting nuanced strengths and weaknesses with the team,” another user shared.
Others also sent in their prayers.
“Prayers for papa!! 🙏🙏 May he get well soon!”
“Hang in there Papa, the Bay is with you.”
“Oh 😭 😢 May the lord bless our Papa 🤲 🙏🏼”
With Papa away from the booth, broadcaster Guy Haberman has joined longtime analyst Tim Ryan for 49ers Radio Network duties. Meanwhile, Papa’s “Lunch With Papa” show and his planned NBC Sports Bay Area appearances remain on hold.
A GoFundMe campaign established by the David Benzer Strike Out Fear Foundation is also helping with Papa’s medical and recovery expenses. For now, doctors are continuing to work on his condition, while fans across the Bay Area wait for updates on the broadcaster who has spent years calling 49ers football.