Ken Coleman, Former Red Sox Broadcaster, Dies

Courtesy of washingtonpost.com


(l. to r.) Baltimore Orioles announcer Chuck Thompson, WABC-TV sports anchor Scott Clark and former Boston Red Sox announcer Ken Coleman at the 13th annual ASA Hall of Fame Dinner, April 23, 1998

 

PLYMOUTH, Mass. –– Ken Coleman, a radio and television play by play voice of the Boston Red Sox for 20 years, has died. He was 78.

According to hospital spokesman John Looney, Coleman died at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth on Thursday, August 21. He did not provide further details.

Coleman also was the voice of the Cleveland Indians and the NFL's Cleveland Browns from 1952 65, calling every touchdown Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown ever scored.

He began his Red Sox career in 1966, broadcasting games on WHDH radio and television with partners Ned Martin and Mel Parnell. Coleman left the Red Sox in 1975 for Cincinnati, where he called play by play for the Reds through 1978. He returned to Boston in 1979, and stayed until his retirement in 1989.

He called Red Sox games during their Impossible Dream run to the World Series in 1967, as well as their heartbreaking loss to the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series. In Cincinnati, he witnessed the rise of the Big Red Machine, including their 1975 World Series win over the Red Sox.

Coleman was one of the founding fathers of the Red Sox booster club, the BoSox Club, and was intimately involved with the Jimmy Fund, which raises money for cancer research.

He wrote five books, including "So You Want To Be a Sportscaster."

 


"(l. to r.)Baltimore Orioles announcer Chuck Thompson, sports agent and attorney Ron Shapiro, San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller and former Boston Red Sox announcer Ken Coleman at the 13th annual ASA Hall of Fame Dinner, April 23, 1998

 

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