By Molly Ann Howell & Babette Herrmann
Managing Editor & Publisher
• Salvatore “Sammy C” Chioda, affectionately known as the “Voice of Gallup,” passed away Nov. 14. • He was 70 years old. • Sammy was born in Gallup on Dec. 29, 1954, after his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy. • In a 2019 interview with New Mexico Magazine, Sammy said his parents arrived in Gallup during the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial and believed the celebration was meant to welcome them to the area.
Sammy’s mother was pregnant with him when she traveled across the ocean to the U.S., but his older brother, Dario Chioda, completed the long journey with their parents. Dario is nearly 7 years Sammy’s senior.
Being the older brother, Dario often looked after Sammy. The two brothers grew up in Gallup in a small two-bedroom house.
In an interview with the Sun, Dario said he remembered spending late nights under the covers with his brother listening to Dodgers baseball games. Their father often caught them listening to the games on the radio when they should have been sleeping.
Dario said “It’s been like a bad dream” since he learned of his younger brother’s death.
A CAREER IN RADIO
Over his lifetime, Sammy wore many hats in the Gallup area, with most of his jobs placing him front and center in the sports community. Sammy was perhaps best known for his radio voice and personality.
He started his radio career at age 14. When he was in the ninth grade, he walked into KYVA-AM and convinced the station to let him host his own radio show. “The Sammy C Show” ran from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. He also filled in for other DJs during their vacations.
In 1970, Sammy gave his first play-by-play account of a high school sporting event.
Back then, there was no NCAA Women’s College Basketball Division. Instead, Gallup held the contract to host the Women’s National AAU Basketball Championships for a period of years.
After leaving Gallup, the Women’s National AAU Basketball Tournament moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa. With the advent of Title IX, the tournament came to an end and was replaced by the NCAA Women’s College Basketball Division.
Sammy broadcast many of the games, including the 1970 Championship Game between Nashville Business College and Wayland Baptist.
He moved up at KYVA, accepting a job as the station’s sales manager in 1977 before getting promoted to general manager in 1978. Also in 1977, Sammy began providing exclusive sports play-by-play on KYVA radio for the Gallup High School athletics program.
Sammy held the title of general manager for five years before KYVA promoted him to vice president in 1983.
Along the way, Sammy married Marie Colaianni on April 25, 1998. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas, N.V., in 2023.
Marie, who was 10 years Sammy’s junior, grew up listening to her future husband as he broadcast the Gallup Bengals football games.
After leaving the Gallup area to attend college, Marie returned home and became reacquainted with her former neighbor.
“I married a friend who became the love of my life,” she said of her late husband. “He was an amazing man. He was so compassionate; he always did more for others than he did for himself.”
Together they had two children, Giovanni and Francesca. Their son, Giovanni, is a physician in residency at the University of New Mexico. Francesca graduated from UNM in May 2024 and is now pursuing her master’s degree in Philadelphia.
While Sammy’s family grew, his career path changed in 2003 when he became president of Millennium Media Inc.
Millennium Media owns four radio stations, and social media dedications from his staff make it apparent that he was respected and admired.
Eric Gonzales works in the sales and marketing department at Millennium Media. He grew up looking up to Sammy, who worked with Gonzales’ father in the radio business.
When Gonzales grew up, he joined Sammy, and they began working side by side to create various promotions for the radio station.
Gonzales said he still can’t believe his boss is gone.
“It was just a pleasure working with him,” he said. “I’m still kinda numb because he was here today and gone tomorrow, and it’s really tough when you spend so much time with somebody, and you’re close with them. He was like family to us, and we lost our general manager and a family member.”
Even throughout his radio station management career, Sammy remained the definitive commentator for Gallup sports.
In addition to being the broadcaster for Gallup High School athletics, he also served as the voice of New Mexico Activities Association State Cross Country Championship Meet since 1973.
When he wasn’t broadcasting sports games, Sammy organized the Tony Dorsett Football League, which he founded in 1996.
Youth ages 6 to 13 begin competition at the end of August and conclude the TDFL season at the close of October with the Four Corners Youth Football Championship in Gallup.
In 2018, Sammy was nominated for potential induction into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame for his tireless coverage of local high school sporting events throughout his career.
After more than 50 years of supporting the community, it’s now time to say goodbye to Sammy.
A funeral service will be held on Nov. 21 at Sacred Heart Cathedral Church. The rosary will be at 10:30 a.m., with the funeral following at 11 a.m. Sammy will be buried at Sunset Cemetery.
A celebration of life reception will take place immediately after the burial at Sammy C’s Rock n’ Sports Pub & Grille, located at 107 W. Coal Ave.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the TDFL, the Rotary Scholarship Fund, or Sacred Heart Cathedral School.
