East Carolina won't play Tulane after death of radio voice

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — East Carolina says it won't play its men's basketball at Tulane on Saturday after the death of Pirates radio announcer Jeff Charles while with the team Friday in New Orleans.

In a statement Friday, East Carolina said any rescheduling decision was yet to be determined. Tulane listed the American Athletic Conference game as postponed on its schedule as of Friday night.

Charles had worked as the team's “Voice of the Pirates” for more than 30 years, calling 15 football bowl games and more than 1,000 basketball games.

The school's statement offered no details on Charles' death, while TV station WNCT of Greenville described it only as due to a “medical incident" that required attention from ECU trainers and then emergency personnel. WNCT reported that the team was scheduled to travel back to Greenville on Saturday.

WNCT said Charles was 70 years old.

Charles was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in 2000 and 2013 by the National Sports Media Association. The Ohio native had previously worked at Virginia Tech, Illinois and Furman, as well as serving as sports director at WSB in Atlanta with a nighttime sports talk show.

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