West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 101

1980
1985
1990
1984 Graduated from
Syracuse University
1984 Hired by WAJR
Morgantown
1986 Named sports director
of the MetroNews Network
1986 Began hosting
“Sportsline”
1990 Started PIA Sports Radio
Network’s football play by play
“Knowing there are fans who
are using my words to create
a picture in their mind as to
what’s happening drives me
to do my very best. I never
want to disappoint them.”
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
1993 Announced Mutual
Radio and Westwood One
Radio Network College
Football Game of the Week
1996 Named Mountaineer
Sports Network’s football
and basketball play-by-play
announcer
2003 Started working at
Pikewood Creative
2016 Wrote a children’s book
2018 Received a Regional
Emmy Award for the Hot Rod
Hundley documentary
Caridi’s strong work ethic is a learned
trait he attributes to his greatest mentors:
his parents. His father, Giuseppe, immigrated
to the U.S. from Italy at age 32,
and his mother, Mary, was born to Italian
immigrant parents. Together they raised
their three children to work hard at the
family’s grocery store.
“We went to our house to sleep, but the
store was our home,” he says. “My parents
showed me what real work was and how to
interact with people from all walks of life.
The constant interaction with customers
from every demographic provided me
with an invaluable experience.”
After graduating from Syracuse University
with a degree in broadcast journalism
in 1984, Caridi landed his first job as a
radio news reporter for WAJR in Morgantown.
While the move to the Mountain
State propelled Caridi onto a successful
path, he had no contacts when he arrived.
He made a commitment early in his career
to mentor up-and-comers.
Along with mentoring young broadcasters,
Caridi’s skill set has allowed him
to give back in a unique way. He pays
homage to his Italian heritage as an active
volunteer, emcee and auctioneer for the
Audia Caring Heritage Association, a
charity committed to assisting domestic
and international communities in improving
quality of life by raising money
for items like medical equipment, iPads,
warm clothing and toiletries. He serves as
a volunteer emcee and auctioneer for the
WVU Cancer Gala, a host and auctioneer
for the annual Bob Huggins Fish Fry
and an emcee for the WVU Chapter of
Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Caridi
also hosts Inside the Huddle, a fundraising
event that supports the Boys & Girls Clubs
of Parkersburg and the Eastern Panhandle
and the United Way of Central West Virginia,
and he promotes Drew’s Day, an
annual event that raises funds for West
Virginians suffering from spina bifida.
In 2016, Caridi wrote a children’s book
set in West Virginia, and a portion of the
proceeds from every sale goes to the WVU
Medicine Children’s Hospital.
“Deep within all of us is the need to
give and help others,” he says. “Giving
provides true happiness and fulfillment.”
To Caridi, West Virginia is home, and
he attributes his greatest personal and
professional successes to his adopted
community where he met his wife, Joan.
“I wouldn’t have had any success without
Joan and my family,” he says. “This is
a unique business when it comes to hours
and commitment of time. Joan raised our
three boys, and I’m proud of how they’ve
grown into great young men. Also, thanks
to the success of WVU athletics, I’ve had
the opportunity to broadcast some of the
most iconic events in sports, including
the Final Four, numerous NCAA tournaments,
the Orange Bowl, the Sugar
Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl and more than
1,000 Mountaineer games.”
Caridi is inspired by the attitude and
passion of his fellow West Virginians.
“Their get-it-done attitude is how I
was raised, and the passion that permeates
their love of the state and the Mountaineers
makes it where I want to be,” he says.
“Knowing there are fans who are using
my words to create a picture in their mind
as to what’s happening drives me to do
my very best. I never want to disappoint
them.” •
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