Dave Niehaus, Seattle Mariners' Hall of Fame Announcer, Dies at 75

by John Hickey

Filed under: Mariners, MLB Hall of Fame

SEATTLE -- Hall of Fame announcer Dave Niehaus, the lead voice for the Seattle Mariners since their inception, died Wednesday.

The 75-year-old, who was inducted into Cooperstown in 2008, reportedly died of a heart attack and was found by his wife, Marilyn, on the back deck of his Seattle home late on the kind of sunny Seattle afternoon that he loved. In addition to his wife, Niehaus is survived by his three children and six grandchildren.

"This is a terrible loss," Mariners president Chuck Armstrong said. "He has been the link between the fans and the team since the club was founded."

Niehaus, who started his career with the California Angels in 1969, moved north when the Mariners began play in 1977 and was widely credited with growing the Mariners' fan base during decades of losing before the team finally came into its own competitively in the 1990s.

He was so much the epitome of the organization that when Seattle moved into Safeco Field after the All-Star break in 1999, Niehaus was chosen to throw out the first pitch.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Brian Bocock Russell Branyan Reid Brignac Emmanuel Burriss