John Thomas Ralph Augustine James Facenda (/fə.ˈsɛn.də/ fuh-SEN-duh; August 8, 1913 – September 26, 1984) was an American broadcaster and sports announcer.

He was a fixture on Philadelphia radio and television for decades, and achieved national fame as a narrator for NFL Films and Football Follies.

[citation needed] One night in 1965, Facenda went to a local tavern, the RDA Club, which happened to be showing footage produced by NFL Films.

Steve Sabol, son of Ed, claimed that "John may have made a game seem more important than it was because he read lines with a dramatic directness.

His face is weatherbeaten He wears a hooded sash With a silver hat about his head And a bristling black mustache He growls as he storms the country A villain big and bold And the trees all shake and quiver and quake As he robs them of their gold.

The style is frequently emulated, often in a parodic manner, in contemporary sports news, advertising, and even other sports-themed entertainment (for example, Green Day's music video for the 1999 song "Nice Guys Finish Last").

Facenda narrated a documentary on Notre Dame Football in 1982 titled "Wake Up the Echoes", one of the few times he put his voice to something that wasn't NFL-related (although it was NFL Films-produced).

A few months prior to his death, Facenda narrated the season highlight film for the 1983 Miami Hurricanes, which won the first of the school's five national championships in a 19-season span (1983–2001).

)[citation needed] After stepping down as anchor, Facenda continued to work for WCAU in various capacities as a narrator, program director, and host of special reports.

Twelve days before Facenda died, he was presented with the Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Philadelphia chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.