Pete Van Wieren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pete Van Wieren
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Skip Caray (left) and Pete Van Wieren acknowledging fans at a Braves game in 1983.
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Peter Dirk Van Wieren
October 7, 1944 Rochester, New York, U.S.
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| Died | August 2, 2014 (aged 69) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
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| Occupation | Sportscaster |
Peter Dirk Van Wieren (born October 7, 1944 – died August 2, 2014) was a famous American sports announcer. He was best known for his long time as a play-by-play announcer for the Major League Baseball team, the Atlanta Braves.
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Pete Van Wieren's Early Career
Pete Van Wieren was born in Rochester, New York. He started his broadcasting journey while attending Cornell University. His first chance came when he filled in for a basketball game announcer who had an accident.
In 1966, Pete got his first job broadcasting baseball games in Binghamton, New York. He became the play-by-play announcer for the AA minor league team, the Binghamton Triplets. He helped bring their games back on the air after they hadn't been broadcast for several years. After two seasons with the Triplets, he moved on. In 1974, he returned to baseball, calling games for the AAA Tidewater Tides.
Calling Games for the Atlanta Braves
In December 1975, Pete Van Wieren was hired by Turner Sports to be a play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves. From 1976 to 2008, he called Braves games on TV and radio. He worked with many partners, including Ernie Johnson Sr., Don Sutton, and Skip Caray. Skip Caray was hired at the same time as Pete.
Ernie Johnson Sr. gave Pete the nickname "The Professor." This was because Pete looked a bit like a pitcher named Jim Brosnan. The nickname also stuck because Pete knew so much about baseball and always prepared thoroughly for his broadcasts.
In 2004, Pete Van Wieren and Skip Caray were both added to the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for people who have made a big impact on the team. They joined other Braves legends like Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro.
Other Sports Broadcasts
Pete Van Wieren was a very talented sportscaster. He won the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year award eight times from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Besides baseball, he also broadcast many other sports.
After joining TBS Sports in 1975, he covered Atlanta Hawks basketball and Atlanta Flames hockey. He also announced Big Ten Conference college football games and pre-season games for the Atlanta Falcons. Pete even called NBA games on TBS and TNT. For a time, he worked as a sports reporter for CNN.
In 1995, Pete Van Wieren also called some important baseball playoff games. He worked with Larry Dierker to broadcast Games 1–3 of the 1995 National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies.
Retirement and Passing
On October 21, 2008, Pete Van Wieren announced that he was retiring from broadcasting. This was after 33 seasons of calling games for the Braves. His retirement came just a few months after his longtime broadcasting partner, Skip Caray, passed away.
To honor him, the broadcast booth at Turner Field, where the Braves played their home games, was named after Pete Van Wieren.
Pete Van Wieren also co-wrote a book about his career called Of Mikes and Men: A Lifetime of Braves Baseball. It was released in April 2010.
Sadly, Pete Van Wieren was diagnosed with a type of cancer called lymphoma in 2009. He passed away on August 2, 2014, due to complications from the illness. He was married to Elaine Van Wieren, and they had two children.
