Bob Prince was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator, best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the nickname "The Gunner" and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh.
Prince was one of the most distinct and popular voices in sports broadcast history, known for his gravel voice, unabashed style and clever nicknames and phrases, which came to be known as "Gunnerisms." His unique manner influenced a number of broadcasters after him, including Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange and Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst Myron Cope.
Prince called Pirates games from 1948 to 1975, including the World Series championship years of 1960 and 1971. Nationally, he broadcast the 1960, 1966, and 1971 World Series and the 1965 All-Star Game for NBC, as well as the first year (1976) of ABC's Monday Night Baseball. He also broadcast at different times for other Pittsburgh-area sports teams, including Steelers football and Penguins hockey.
"The Gunner" was awarded the Ford Frick Award posthumously in 1986.
On April 20, 1948, Bob Prince would make his MLB home debut (and possibly his actual MLB broadcasting debut, as it has not been confirmed whether he and his broadcasting partner, Rosey Rowswell made the trip to Cincinnati for the first Pirates game of the season). The Pirates would beat the visiting Chicago Cubs on the pitching prowess of Rip Sewell, who also hit a home run. Amazingingly, this 4 X All-Star was a 40 year old pitcher at the tail end of his career.
The Bucs would win 3-2 over the Cubs (note – Phil Cavarretta had a home run during the game as well).
Historic rare ticket graded by PSA with a Pop of 1 out of 1 in the pop report.
Item: 12843
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