Born and raised in Oakland, the 7th of 9 children, Kevin Radich had to scramble to keep what was his. This extended to the basketball court where his propensity to steal the ball earned him his lifelong nickname “The Rat”. A natural athlete and sports enthusiast, Kevin saw his first baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum on May 8th, 1968 when Jim “Catfish” Hunter pitched a perfect game. This peak experience solidified Kevin’s love of the game. He went on to play baseball at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland and Cal State Hayward. He also played and coached semi-pro ball with the Oakland Expos in the 1980’s.
Bill King was his early broadcasting hero. As a boy he would “practice” by turning down the sound on a Raiders or Warriors game and sharpen his play by play skills with a cassette recorder. He would break into radio in 1985 when he was hired by KFOG to be the sports guy on their popular morning show. Kevin also hosted “The Ultimate Armchair Quarterback”, a weekly show with Joe Montana. In 1993, while working for KRQR, Kevin broke the bombshell story that Joe Montana had been traded to Kansas City which also marked his debut on sister station KCBS.
Since then, Kevin has been a steady voice and commentator on Bay Area sports with long stints at KNBR, KGO and now back to KCBS. The Associated Press has honored him twice with the Mark Twain Award. He lives in Marin County with his wife and animal companions and enjoys a frustrating relationship with his golf clubs.