Don Wittman dies

[AD]

Sad news

[Jaimoe]

Maybe the most underrated sportscaster in the country, and one of the least appreciated/recognized. Don was the best multi-purpose broadcaster this country has seen, period. R.I.P.. Fuck cancer.

[Kanada Kev]

A note we got here at work on Friday:

January 19, 2008

CBC mourns the loss of Don Wittman

I am saddened to inform you that CBC Sports broadcaster Don Wittman has died after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 71.

Don was a first-generation pioneer sports broadcaster and a legend in our business. He was also, most importantly, a great friend of all of us at CBC.

Don was born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, and attended the University of Saskatchewan. He began his remarkable 52-year broadcasting career as a radio news reporter in 1955 at CFCQ in Saskatoon. He worked for CJNB in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, before returning to Saskatoon and CFCQ and then joining CBC.

To suggest that Don was versatile does not begin to describe his ability, and his impressive accomplishments. He called his first Brier for CBC in 1961 and was the voice of Championship Curling on CBC right up to this past November.

For many of us, we grew up with him as the voice of the CFL. He called his first Grey Cup Championship in 1961 alongside Steve Douglas and Ted Reynolds, and went on to call an amazing 34 more. Don was an important part of CBC’s Olympic coverage for more than 40 years, with his first Games coming at the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck.

He and producer Bob Moir were Canada’s link to the terrorist tragedy at the Munich Games in 1972, when they snuck into the athletes’ village posing as team doctors and reported live back to Canada and the CBC audience.

Millions of Canadians remember him as the voice of Olympic track and field-particularly the 100-metre race at the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, when sprinter Donovan Bailey won his gold medal for Canada, and our historic relay gold medal that year as well. In my opinion, he and Geoff Gowan were the best track and field announcers of all time.

Don covered Canadian Open Golf for more than 20 years, and was one of our signature voices on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada from 1979 to this season.

A resident of Winnipeg since 1961, he was the recipient of several awards over the course of his distinguished career. He was a two-time winner of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists award, and was inducted into both the Canadian Football League's Hall of Fame and Manitoba's provincial Hall of Fame.

Earlier this month, many of us had the opportunity to pay tribute to Don as we inducted him into our own CBC Sports Hall of Fame. It was a great occasion to share laughs and stories with Don and many of his family, friends and colleagues.

Don’s family has been a strength for him in the last few months. Our thoughts are with them now.

Please join me in remembering one of Canada’s most beloved sports announcers, our good friend Don Wittman. We, and Canadians across the country, will miss him.

Scott Moore

Executive Director

CBC Sports

Edited January 21, 2008 by Guest

[ollie]

Nice of the Habs to hold a moment of silence in his honour on Saturday night. Did that happen in all the Canadian arenas?

[Freak By Night]

Nice of the Habs to hold a moment of silence in his honour on Saturday night. Did that happen in all the Canadian arenas?

There was a moment of silence at Scotiabank Place on Saturday night, but I thought it was because of the crappy play of the Senators.

Don was one of the best! I watched a lot of CFL as a kid and will always remember his voice.