Brian Williams (sportscaster)

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For other persons named Brian Williams, see Brian Williams (disambiguation).

Brian Williams (born 1946 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Hamilton, Ontario[1]) is a Canadian sportscaster who is best known for his coverage of the Olympic Games. Williams was long associated with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's sports coverage since joining the network in 1974, after radio employment at Toronto's CFRB and CHUM. On June 5, 2006, he announced plans to move to rival CTV, and its sports network TSN, in December 2006. However, on June 8, 2006, the CBC fired Williams, thereby clearing him to join CTV/TSN effective immediately, and will initially serve as on-site host of TSN's Canadian Football League coverage. (This position should not be confused with the "studio host" position that remains held by Dave Randorf.)[2]

His unique voice and quirks such as frequently announcing the time, sometimes in several different time zones at once, has made him one of Canada's most distinctive broadcasters. He is a frequent subject of parody on Canadian comedy shows such as Royal Canadian Air Farce.

Williams served as the studio host for the CBC's CFL coverage for many years and formerly announced Toronto Blue Jays baseball games for the network. Along with Terry Leibel and Ron MacLean, he was a regular studio anchor for CBC's Olympic Games coverage, and will serve a similar role at CTV in 2010 and 2012, but will be limited to hosting TSN's cable coverage, at most, in 2008. He also covered the 2002 FIFA World Cup for CBC.

Williams also worked with Peter Mansbridge during CBC 2000 Today, CBC's coverage of the millennium. He also currently co-hosts Don Cherry's Grapeline, along with Don Cherry.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ The Hamilton Spectator (2006-05-19). "Celebrity High: Westdale Secondary Alumni (Brian Williams)". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
  2. ^ globeandmail.com

[edit] External links

[edit] Multimedia

[edit] Websites

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Toronto Blue Jays Television Play-by-Play Voice

Don Chevrier (1977-1996) • Brian Williams (1993-2002) • Dan Shulman (1995-2001) • Rob Faulds (1999-2004) • Rod Black (1999-present) • Jim Hughson (1991-93, 2007-present) • Jamie Campbell (2005–present)