Gus Rooney

Gus Rooney

Augustine Joseph "Gus" Rooney (8 January 1892 – 21 December 1978) was an American sportswriter, baseball umpire,[1] football referee,[2] and sports announcer.[3]

Early life and education

Rooney was born in Boston on January 8, 1892. He attended Harvard College as a special student in 1919–1920.

Career

Rooney worked as a sportswriter for The Boston Traveler for several decades. On April 13, 1926, he became the first man to call a Boston Red Sox game, where he announced the opening day game for WNAC.[4] That season, he also announced some Boston Braves games as well.

He subsequently returned to his work as a sportswriter at the Traveler, retiring in 1938. In addition to sportswriting, his obituary notes that he was a publicist for Suffolk Downs when it opened.

Death

Rooney died in Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, on December 21, 1978, at the age of 86.

References

  1. ^ "ROW OVER UMPIRES AVERTED BY BARROW". The New York Times. March 24, 1920. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  2. ^ "DETROIT CONQUERS BOSTON TEAM, 17-7". The New York Times. October 14, 1935.
  3. ^ "Red Sox, Entercom reach long-term radio broadcast agreement". MLB Advanced Media. May 8, 2006. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010.
  4. ^ Burton Whitman. "Red Sox Lose Home Opener to Yankees by 12-11 as 13,000 Fans Shiver". Boston Herald. April 14, 1926. pp. 1, 14.