Ralph Lawler

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Ralph Lawler (born 1938 in Peoria, Illinois) is the television and radio voice of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers. Going back to the franchise's six-year stint in San Diego (1978-84), Lawler has broadcast virtually every Clippers game, whether it be radio and/or television. There was a short stint in the 1984-85 season (the Clippers' first in Los Angeles) where Lawler worked strictly as a substitute broadcaster (subbing for Pete Arbogast), before becoming the full-time voice once again, beginning the following season. Although the team's performance has been among the worst (if not, the worst) among NBA franchises, Lawler has continued to provide Clippers fans with his award-winning enthusiastic commentary, which has made him a fan favorite. He has broadcast more than 2,000 Clippers games, including more than 1,600 consecutive games. He reached the 2,000-game milestone in a game versus the Toronto Raptors, on February 13, 2005.

Lawler's broadcasting career began in the 1960s, after graduating from Bradley University in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois, where he worked as an on-air personality on a Riverside, California radio station. From there, Lawler went on to work in Philadelphia, where he broadcast games of the NHL's Flyers, NBA's 76ers, and Major League Baseball's Phillies, as well as calling games for the San Diego Conquistadors of the American Basketball Association and the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He also worked as a sports reporter for then-CBS station WCAU-TV, before returning to Southern California for good in the late 1970s.

Lawler has worked with Basketball Hall of Famer and current ESPN/ABC commentator Bill Walton, on locally televised Clippers broadcasts. Their broadcasts were wildly popular among Clippers (and many NBA) fans, because of their witty banter. Walton left the Clippers to work exclusively with ABC/ESPN when the two networks acquired the NBA broadcasts in 2002. Lawler's biggest broadcasting influences included Irv Kaze, a former sports executive (who had a stint as a San Diego Clippers general manager and hired Lawler in 1978) and long-time Los Angeles-area sports talk show host, before he died in 2003; and late legendary Los Angeles Lakers voice, Chick Hearn, who like Lawler, grew up in Illinois before moving on to Southern California. Lawler and current Clippers guard Shaun Livingston are alumni of Peoria (Central) High School.

[edit] Lawler-isms

Bingo: when a player makes a three-point basket. The "Bingo" term derives from one-time Clipper player and Cleveland Cavalier great Bobby "Bingo" Smith, known during his playing career for his outstanding shooting and scoring.
Lawler's Law: The first team to 100 points wins the game. In games involving the Clippers since 1978, Lawler's law has been true 91.5% of the time.
Lawler's Law Corollary: The team that shoots 50% in field goal percentage wins the game.
Fasten your seat belts, gang. We're going down to the wire!: It refers to when a close game is coming down to final minutes (or seconds).
Oh Me, Oh My!: When a player makes an unbelievable and exciting play.