New Orleans Saints legend Zach Strief, the team’s announcer for the past three seasons, announced on Friday that he is leaving WWL (WWL-870 AM / 105.3 FM) to become the assistant coach of the Saints offensive line.
Strief will be coached by Dan Roushar, New Orleans ‘offensive line coach since 2016. During the 2020 season, the Saints’ offensive line blocked by an attack that led the league in touchdowns (30) and averaged 141.6 yards per game on the ground, sixth best in the NFL.
Strief joined the WWL radio team after a 12-year career as a player at Saints as an offensive tackle. Born in Cincinnati and graduated from Northwestern University, he replaced Jim Henderson, a local broadcast icon, who retired in 2018. Strief collaborated with Saints’ all-time leader, Deuce McAllister, to bring fans a dynamic perspective on games and programs from the Saints at the main station. Strief became one of the few ex-players who learned the skills needed to be a play-by-play announcer and also held various host roles across the WWL radio platform.
“Fortunately, I won’t be far,” said Strief on Friday. “My love of football and my connections with the Saints simply called me to this job. I played for coach (Sean) Payton for 12 years and worked for Mr. and Mrs. Benson and Mickey (Loomis). I learned a lot from everyone them and I want to continue to grow as a professional. The opportunity to help Santos FC bring another World Championship is just too big for me to pass up. It’s time to go home. “
The team hopes to make a formal announcement about all manager changes at a later date.