KPLU Local News
(2010-11-11)
Dave Niehaus at his induction into Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, in 2008. Niehaus received the Ford Frick Award, given to the sports top broadcaster. The longtime voice of the Seattle Mariners died Wednesday, at age 75.
AP
(KPLU) -
Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus, who became the living embodiment of the franchise in his 34 years behind the microphone, has died. Niehaus passed away after suffering a heart attack at his Bellevue home on Wednesday, according to his family. He was 75 years old.
Famous for his colorful and deft storytelling skills, Niehaus brought Mariner games to life with his passion for the game and his trademark phrases, "My oh My" and "Get out the rye bread and the mustard, Grandma, it's grand salami time!" He was there for the first pitch of the new franchise in 1977, and through this year was a staple of both radio and television broadcasts of Mariner games. Niehaus received the Ford Frick Award in 2008, a top broadcasting honor, presented at Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The news came as a shock to team colleagues, and players past and present. In a press release Wednesday evening, Mariner chairman Howard Lincoln says news of Niehaus' death "is devastating." Former player Jay Buhner, who later joined Niehaus in the broadcast booth, told The Seattle Times, "This is the saddest day of my life. It is like I am losing a Dad, someone that was a father figure to me."
Niehaus' longtime broadcast colleague Rick Rizzs told the Times that Niehaus was, "not only the voice of the Mariners, he was the Mariners."
Niehaus leaves behind his wife, Marilyn, children Andy, Matt and Greta, and grandchildren.
Watch the KCTS 9 Conversation with Dave Niehaus, recorded in 2008.
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