Marty Brennaman
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Marty Brennaman (born Franchester Martin Brennaman July 28, 1942 in Portsmouth, Virginia), is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the longtime radio voice of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds.
Brennaman graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1965 and began his broadcasting career at WGHP-TV in High Point, North Carolina, and followed with stints in Salisbury, North Carolina and Norfolk, Virginia. In 1970, He received his first job as a play-by-play announcer for the Virginia Squires of the now-defunct American Basketball Association, and in 1971 he began his career as a baseball announcer for the Norfolk Tides, the New York Mets' International League affiliate.
In 1974, Marty Brennaman was selected (from among 200-plus applicants) to succeed Al Michaels as the Cincinnati Reds' play-by-play announcer on 700 WLW (AM). His hiring paired him with legendary Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall, who, after retirement as an active player in the 1960s, started a prolific career as an announcer, which lasted full-time until the 2004 season. (Nuxhall has announced sporadically during his semi-retirement.)
"Marty and Joe" became an institution in the city, appearing together in numerous radio and television commercials.
Marty Brennaman's much beloved traditional signal of a Reds victory: "And this one belongs to the Reds!" was coined during his second game. This same phrase was expected to be placed in lights, outside of the Reds new Great American Ball Park in 2003, but interference from Hamilton County officials nixed the idea, citing that the ballpark "belongs to the taxpayers" and not the Reds [1]. Instead, only Joe Nuxhall's traditional phrase of "...Rounding third and heading for home." was used.
Highlights of Brennaman's career include calling Hank Aaron's record-tying 714th career home run in 1974, Pete Rose's 4,192nd career hit in 1985, Tom Browning's perfect game in 1988, Ken Griffey, Jr.'s 500th career home run in 2004, and the Reds' World Series victories in 1975, 1976, and 1990.
In 2000, Marty Brennaman won the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame to a broadcaster "for major contributions to the game of baseball", and is enshrined in the broadcasters wing.
Brennaman has also been named Ohio Sportscaster of the Year twelve times and the Virginia Sportscaster of the Year Award four times for his versatility in calling baseball, football, and basketball games on both the collegiate and professional levels. In addition to the Virginia Squires and the Norfolk Tides, he has called games for Virginia Tech and William & Mary, and formerly called NCAA men's basketball tournament games.
His son, Thom Brennaman, is a prolific broadcaster in his own right. He has worked with the Reds and the Chicago Cubs, and was a television broadcaster with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the number two baseball play-by-play man (behind Joe Buck) on Fox Sports' Major League Baseball broadcasts. On October 4, 2006, a press release by the Cincinnati Reds reported that Thom will be joining his father in the Reds' booth in 2007. [2]
Brennaman was elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
After years of making fun of Joe Nuxhall for playing the sport of golf Brennaman is now an avid golfer himself and speaks of the sport often during his broadcasts.
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| Preceded by Arch McDonald |
Ford C. Frick Award 2000 |
Succeeded by Felo Ramirez |
| Preceded by Al Michaels |
Cincinnati Reds Radio Announcer 1974 - present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
