Van Miller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Van Miller
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Miller in 2008
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| Born | November 22, 1927 |
| Died | July 17, 2015 (aged 87) |
| Years active | 1960–2003 |
Van Miller (born November 22, 1927 – died July 17, 2015) was a famous American sports announcer. He worked on both radio and television. Van Miller was born in Dunkirk, New York. He started his career there by calling high school football games.
Later, he moved to Buffalo. He became the main announcer for the Buffalo Bills Radio Network. This was the official radio voice for the Buffalo Bills football team. He worked for the Bills from 1960 to 1971, and again from 1977 to 2003. When he retired in 2003, Van Miller had worked for one team longer than any other pro football announcer. He was with the Bills for 37 years!
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Van Miller's Amazing Career
On July 30, 1960, Van Miller started his first broadcast. He called the very first game for the Buffalo Bills. They played against the Boston Patriots. Besides being known as the "Voice of the Bills," Miller was also the sports director for WBEN-TV/WIVB-TV.
During his time there, he did many jobs. He was a sportscaster and even a weather reporter. He also hosted local TV shows like It's Academic and Beat the Champ. Beat the Champ was a show about ten-pin bowling. Van Miller also had a popular afternoon radio show on WBEN radio for many years.
Calling Other Sports Teams
Van Miller didn't just call Bills games. He also announced games for many other teams. He covered basketball for the Buffalo Braves and Niagara University. He called baseball games for the Buffalo Bisons. He even announced soccer for the Buffalo Stallions.
He also called football games for the University at Buffalo. In his early years, he announced high school sports too. He continued calling college basketball games into the 1990s. He helped the Empire Sports Network become well-known when it was new.
His Time with the Buffalo Bills
Van Miller covered the Bills for most of their history. He took a break for seven seasons, from 1972 to 1978. During that time, another radio station, WKBW-AM, broadcast the Bills games. Miller then covered the Buffalo Braves basketball team.
He was there for the Bills' big wins. This included their AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. He also called their exciting run to the Super Bowl in the early 1990s. Miller worked with other announcers like Stan Barron and Jefferson Kaye. They were known as "Van, Stan and Fan." Later, he worked with John Murphy.
In 2004, Van Miller retired. John Murphy then took over as the Bills' main announcer. Miller loved calling Bills games the most. He was sad when WKBW took over the broadcasts in 1972. He was very happy when WBEN got the rights back.
In 1995, Miller even wrote a song! It was called "I've Got That Phoenix Feeling." It played a lot on WBEN and WIVB. However, the Bills did not make it to Super Bowl XXX that year, which was played in Phoenix.
Van Miller's Last Broadcast
After 43 years, Van Miller called his last game for the Bills. It was the final game of the 2003 season. The Bills lost to the New England Patriots 31-0. It was interesting because the Patriots were the same team the Bills played in Miller's very first broadcast in 1960.
His headset and special boards he used to keep track of plays are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are kept in Canton, Ohio.
Life After Retirement and Passing Away
After retiring, Van Miller lived with his wife, Gloria Miller. They got married in 1953. They lived in Tonawanda, New York.
Even in retirement, Miller sometimes did guest sports commentary. He also voiced commercials for local businesses in Western New York. He was known as "Van the Grapevine Man" for one restaurant.
Awards and Honors
Van Miller received many awards for his work.
- In 2004, the Pro Football Hall of Fame gave him the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
- He was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1998.
- He joined the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
- He was also inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Miller loved playing tennis. He often played doubles matches with Jack Ramsay.
Van Miller's Famous Phrases
Van Miller had many well-known phrases he used during games.
- "Fandemonium" – he used this when fans celebrated big Bills wins.
- "Do you believe it?" – he said this after an exciting play that often changed the game.
- "Fasten your seatbelts" – another exciting phrase.
He also had a funny routine for radio interviews. He would pretend to call a game where the host of the show fumbled the ball near the end zone. Then Miller would act very upset about it.
On October 19, 2014, Van Miller was honored on the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame. This is a special place for important people in the team's history.
In his last years, Miller had some health problems due to his age. He passed away on July 17, 2015, at 87 years old. He died from problems caused by a stroke. Most of his belongings were sold in 2017. This included a large collection of football items. He even had championship rings from the Bills' AFL and AFC championships. He also owned a fancy car called a Maserati.
