Back in 2017, when Dave McGinnis stepped in for Frank Wycheck as the color commentator for Titans
Radio broadcasts, he quickly became a popular community presence. The Tennessee Titans'
fans loved McGinnis' energetic takes, coaching stories, and several connections around the NFL. But on April 13, "Coach Mac" unfortunately passed away at 74. The Titans then faced a difficult question: who could really replace such a beloved voice? Now, the Titans appear to have their answer, but not everyone agrees with the choice.
On May 15, Tennessee
journalist Paul Kuharsky reported that the Titans selected Ramon Foster
to replace Dave McGinnis. Foster certainly brings broadcasting experience. But as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee, he also spent his entire 11-year NFL career playing as a guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers
. To Kuharsky, that was reason enough to slam the Titans' decision to hire Foster.
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"Titans just greeted all of their big-time alumni with a big slap across the face," Paul Kuharsky said in a clip that he uploaded with his latest Instagram post. "I reported today that Ramon Foster is gonna replace the late great Dave McGinnis as the color analyst for the Titans radio, and maybe that's fine. But when the Titans close Nissan Stadium in Week 17, Ramon Foster is gonna be there representing the Titans, or he's gonna be waving a terrible towel from his 11 years as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"If they did a thorough, thorough interview process and settled on a guy who was their sideline reporter a couple years ago, that's one thing. But my reporting shows that the Titans did not do any extensive interviews of their best alumni for this job. Not just not extensive, not at all. All these big names that people have thrown out, who should've at least gotten a chance to show what they could do sitting next to Taylor Zarzour? Nothing. One of them may surface as the new sideline reporter, but that's not enough."
Dave McGinnis built a remarkable resume long before he became a Titans Radio legend alongside Mike Keith. In the 1970s, the Texas native played at TCU before starting a coaching career that included stops at Indiana State, Missouri, Kansas State, and TCU. He later joined the Chicago Bears
as a linebackers coach on his first NFL coaching stint. Then, in 1996, the Arizona Cardinals
signed him as their defensive coordinator, and in 2000, he was promoted to be their head coach.
In 2004, McGinnis joined former Titans' HC Jeff Fisher's staff as linebackers coach. He spent nearly a decade in Tennessee before following Fisher to the St. Louis Rams. McGinnis stayed there until the Rams fired Fisher in 2016. A year later, McGinnis returned to Tennessee as a radio analyst and remained there until an illness led to his death
.
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"My heart aches with the loss of Coach Mac, who was so much more than a coach and broadcaster – he was family," Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said last month. "Coach Mac gave so much of himself to this organization over the years, and his passion, loyalty, and love for the Titans never wavered."
Replacing a legendary figure like Coach Mac in Tennessee was never going to be easy. But the Titans now believe that Ramon Foster, a native of Tennessee, could fill those big shoes.
Why did the Titans hire Ramon Foster?
Ramon Foster previously worked as the Titans' sideline reporter before moving to the University of Tennessee's radio booth as a color commentator last year. He also co-hosts the Ramon and Will morning show on 104.5 The Zone, the Titans' flagship radio station. In December last year, The Zone even announced that Foster had signed a multi-year extension to work on the show. So, the Titans clearly value Foster's familiar voice and broadcasting experience.
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However, last week, Paul Kuharsky also reported that the Titans passed on several former Titans players who reportedly showed interest in the role. That list included former Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, who hosts the Bullseye View
podcast. There were also former Titans left tackle Brad Hopkins, who hosts the SiriusXM podcast, and former Titans cornerback Jason McCourty
, who works as a game analyst for CBS.
Even former Titans tackle Taylor Lewan
admitted he would have considered the position while balancing his co-hosting duties on the Bussin' With the Boys podcast. Yet the Titans handed the role to someone who never wore their jersey.
"You've been in Tennessee, in Nissan Stadium for 27 years, and you're giving the Titans, a Steeler who went to the University of Tennessee," Paul Kuharsky added in his IG post. "That's a testament to what you failed to grow, and it really shows a lack of ambition by the team to find somebody. Frank Wycheck was hired to replace Pat Ryan because he was a Titan. My, how far they've gone in the other direction!"
But you see, the Titans have also entered a period of major transition across the organization. After Mike Keith left Titans Radio for the Vol Radio Network, Taylor Zarzour took over as the team's play-by-play voice. Reports also suggest the Titans could change their sideline reporter setup after Will Boling and Amie Wells shared duties last season.
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Beyond the booth, the Titans hired Robert Saleh as their new head coach and let go of the last executive from the Mike Vrabel era
. Recently, the Titans also unveiled their new logo and jerseys for the 2026 NFL season. In many ways, this feels like a completely new era for the Titans.
Even so, Ramon Foster will be on the hot seat from day one because he will be following two iconic voices like Frank Wycheck and Dave McGinnis. Now, Titans fans will wait to see whether Foster can truly make the role his own at Nissan Stadium.
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