A Gainesville dentist has a sweet tooth for high school sports and gets to live out his dream every game day.
Gil Brodach has been a practicing dentist in the Alachua County area since 1986 but could not let go of his love for Gainesville High School and bonding with athletes there.
Brodach was a teacher at Gainesville high school in 1982 when he was approached by the vice principal to announce a Friday night football game. The rest is history.
For 42 years, Brodach has been the announcer, statistician and numerous other positions for multiple sports at GHS. “I’m a super sports fan, and I love that we have a big community of alumni, fans and parental support here with the athletic program,” Brodach said.
With retirement on the horizon, Brodach is unsure when he will announce his final game. “I’ve been a lifelong resident in Gainesville since college, and GHS has a special place in my heart,” Brodach said. “I’m pretty active and in good health, so I haven’t really put an end date on it.”
There’s no limit as to what Brodach won’t do for the school he loves. It spans well beyond just coming in for the games.
“He loves this school,” Phillip Knight, the athletic director at GHS, said. “When we go to summer camp, he goes with us. If we travel out of state for a ball game, he goes with us.”
After a fall busy with football, basketball season in the spring is when Brodach shines the most. With GHS making a deep run in the playoffs this season, the staff and players appreciate his attitude toward the game.
“He’s always 100% invested in us,” said Mike Barnes, the GHS varsity boys basketball head coach. “When things may not be going well, he's always a glass half-full kind of guy.”
Before every game he announces, Brodach lines up his rosters and game sheets in a particular order. It’s clockwork for him.
Brodach’s impact on the athletes makes his job what it is. He creates a game day atmosphere that these young athletes will forever remember.
“The kids look forward to it, especially when they’re starting,” Barnes said. “They can hear their name announced by him and that's really special.”
As an announcer, his ability to make the game understandable for everyone of all ages is unique. “He’s a historian,” Knight said. “He studies the other team and is very informative with how he announces fouls and live stats.”
Brodach’s loyalty to GHS is what fans and the Gainesville community admire. His commitment to one school is something that is rarely seen anymore.
“Loyalty,” said Wanda Clark, a former attention monitor at GHS. “I’m not even sure why but his degree of loyalty to this school since the 90s when my son played is fascinating.”
Teams like the Hurricanes’ varsity boys basketball team have a rich history of winning championships. These teams have a special identity.
The boys basketball program won its first state championship in 1969, then won again in 1999, 2000 and 2009. Brodach was there for three of the four titles.
The Hurricanes lost in the state playoffs this season, but had a successful run nonetheless. The end of the season will give Brodach the opportunity to start working with softball and baseball with their seasons beginning.
A long-time dentist who just flat-out loves making sports enjoyable for everyone around him. When his announcing career comes to an end, Gil’s legacy will be hard to match.