Man Behind the Mic: Sam Lagana Hired as Public Address Announcer for Los Angeles Rams

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

One of Sam Lagana’s most prized possessions happens to be a football signed by NFL Hall of Famer Deacon Jones, a defensive end and member of the Los Angeles’ Rams famed “Fearsome Foursome” in the 1960s.

“I went to my very first Rams game with my dad when I was a boy and  remember sitting on the press box side at the 40-yard line in the [Los Angeles] Coliseum,” recalled Lagana, a Palisadian and 1980 Palisades High graduate. “They played the Bears and I kept the program a very long time. In fact, I might still have it in a box somewhere. They were my childhood team. I remember Deacon [Jones], Roman Gabriel, Rosey Grier and especially Bob Klein, who grew up here and went to Corpus Christi Church.”

The franchise relocated to St. Louis in 1995 but Lagana was delighted when owner Stan Kroenke announced in January the Rams were moving back to LA for the 2016 season. Lagana was even more ecstatic upon learning last Wednesday he would be the new “voice” of his team, for he has been hired as the Rams’ public address announcer.

“I just kind of put it out there to some of my friends in the sports world that I’d love to be the stadium announcer and I guess word got around because the next thing I knew they sent me some copy to read,” sais Lagana, who celebrated his 54th birthday on Monday. “I sent them back five or six audio clips on my iPhone and they must’ve liked what they heard because their head of Broadcast Services, Chris Slepokura, called to offer me the position.”

Lagana will get a taste for his new gig as the announcer for the team’s “Fan Fest” and scrimmage next Saturday (August 6) at the Coliseum, the team’s temporary home until a new stadium in Inglewood is completed in 2019. He’ll be behind the microphone for two preseason games (beginning with a nationally-televised game Aug. 13 against the Dallas Cowboys) as well as all eight regular season home games.

His biggest challenge might be learning all the players’ names.

“I printed out the roster and it’s four pages long,” Lagana joked. “More than 100 names and multiple guys with the same number!”

Lagana serves as Associate Vice Chancellor at Pepperdine University, where his oldest daughter Cambria is entering her senior year. He arrived at Pepperdine in 2002 with more than 25 years of professional expertise in executive management and specific expertise in external affairs business specializations that included advancement, development, community relations, marketing, promotions, public relations, broadcast television and radio production and sponsorship experience.

Lagana served as Executive Director at the historic Los Angeles Athletic Club as Executive Director of the prestigious John R. Wooden Award from 1996-01.   He served one term as National Director of Sports at the renowned Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles in 2002 and handled the duties of Director of Athletics while serving as Associate Director of Athletics at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1993-1996), and Assistant Director of Athletics at Cal State Northridge (1989-1993) during the Matadors’ transition from Division II to Division I for NCAA competition.

Lagana has served on the boards of the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce and the American Legion Squadron 283. In 2007 he won the Mort Farberow  Award as Businessman of the Year in the Palisades and the Pacific Palisades Community Council presented him the 2012 Golden Sparkplug Award. He and his wife Eileen live in the Marquez area.

“I’ll have three responsibilities as announcer: 1) call the game; 2) enthuse and educate the fans; and 3) deliver sponsor messages,” Lagana said. “Everyone’s expecting a Super Bowl-style presentation.”

“It’s such an iconic venue and  it can get deafening in that stadium,” Lagana continued. “The fans can make a huge difference and I want to help make the team as successful as possible.”

In the 1980s, Lagana managed  numerous sporting events while directing promotions and public relations for the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour. He was the “voice of beach Volleyball” into the 2000s, he was an announcer for Davis Cup tennis, Cal State Northridge football at old North Campus Stadium and for the LA Avengers of the Arena Football League for 10 years.

The Rams went 7-9 and finished third in the NFC West in their final season in St. Louis,  their fourth season under head coach Jeff Fisher, who graduated from Taft High in Woodland Hills.

The Rams won NFL titles in 1945 and 1951 in the pre-Super Bowl era (playing in Los Angeles) and won their only Super Bowl in January 2000 to cap their fifth season in St. Louis. The team selected Cal quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL draft in April.

Lagana is anxious to begin his oratorical account of the next chapter in his childhood team’s history in the City of Angels.

“I came up with a slogan “Rise with the Rams” and I can’t wait to  announce ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to rise with your Rams’ on the kickoffs. ”