Broadcaster Wes Durham calls back to Bob Caudle and the Mid-Atlantic TV Title on ACC Football Broadcast

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Wes Durham

One of our responsibilities here at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway is to do our part in keeping the memories of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling alive for current and future generations of wrestling fans. Occasionally we come across someone who pitches in on that effort as almost an afterthought, calling back to a golden era all but forgotten in the mix of modern world "sports entertainment." But every effort to do so, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, helps preserve the past.

Such was the case on a recent ACC Network telecast of a college football game between the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Hurricanes of the University of Miami when play-by-play broadcaster Wes Durham invoked the memory of the Mid-Atlantic Television title and the name of the legendary play-by-play voice of wrestling in the Carolinas and Virginia for decades, Mr. Bob Caudle.

It happened following UNC junior defensive back Cam'Ron Kelly's interception of a pass by Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke with less than a minute to go in the first half. Kelly was celebrating with the UNC "turnover belt," awarded immediately after a interception or fumble recovery by the Tar Heels:

"The belt has been awarded to Cam’Ron Kelly. That looks like the old Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV title belt that Bob Caudle used to hand out."  - Wes Durham

Durham's comment was inspired by the turnover belt, but the tip of the hat to Caudle was a wonderful added surprise, and surely outs Durham as a fan of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling from the 70s and 80s. (Actually, he already did that to himself here. No worries, Wes, you're amongst friends here. Much respect.)

Cam'Ron Kelly (9) with the UNC Turnover Belt
October 16, 2021 vs. Miami

Wes Durham is the son of legendary Tar Heel broadcaster Woody Durham, the longtime radio voice of North Carolina football and basketball. Wes works for ESPN and is co-host of Packer and Durham on Sirius XM's ACC radio channel, which is co-hosted by Mark Packer, the son of another ACC broadcast legend Billy Packer.

Wes's Mid-Atlantic Wrestling reference joins a similar reference by another well known football play-by-play man, former UNC broadcaster and current voice of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, Mick Mixon. Mixon once likened an on-field brawl between O'Dell Beckham and Josh Norman to an in ring battle on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. (Hear that great radio call here.)

As you surely know if you've spent any time on our website over the past twenty-plus years, Bob Caudle is one of our heroes, and someone we've been proud to call our friend since the good fortune of getting to know him and his lovely wife Jackie back in 2004. It was our great honor for Bob to induct us into the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes at that annual banquet in Charlotte in 2016. A photo of him often adorns the top of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Special thanks to our friend Brack Beasley who tipped us off to Wes Durham's reference to Bob Caudle and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.

A special shout out to the ACC Network's @WesDurham who name-checked the great Bob Caudle and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling during the UNC-Miami football game yesterday afternoon. @ACCNetwork #KeepTheMemoriesAlive #MidAtlanticWrestling #TurnoverBelt pic.twitter.com/DY1wzbDKEp

— Mid-Atlantic Gateway (@magateway) October 17, 2021