Robert Reynolds
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Robert F. (Bob) Reynolds, (?-February 4, 2000) was known for his extensive career as an announcer and sports director at WJR. Reynolds is best remembered for his 31-year tenure as the play-by-play radio voice of the Detroit Lions, and his contributions to Michigan State Football broadcasts for 21 seasons both also airing on WJR.
Radio Career[edit]
Born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, Reynolds initially pursued a career in sports writing before making the transition to radio. In the late 1940s, he made his mark at WFDF in Flint. Following Van Patrick's assumption of the play-by-play role for the MLB's Detroit Tigers in 1951, Reynolds, often affectionately referred to as "Rapid Robert," took on the position of WJR Radio's Sports Director, a role he held until 1977.
Reynolds significantly expanded WJR's sports coverage during his tenure.[1] He played a pivotal role in securing broadcasting rights for the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Michigan State Football. In collaboration with fellow Detroit announcer Paul Carey, who served as WJR's assistant sports director, Reynolds delivered daily sports news on the station and hosted a special 50-minute "Sports Magazine" show each evening, barring pre-emption by play-by-play coverage of Piston basketball or Tiger baseball.
In the Detroit Lions radio booth, Reynolds partnered with Van Patrick from 1952 until Patrick's passing in 1974, and later with Frank Beckmann from 1979 onwards. Initially serving as an analyst, Beckmann eventually succeeded the retiring Reynolds as the Lions' play-by-play voice in 1983, holding the position until the start of the 1989 season.
Concurrent with his run as the radio voice of the Lions, Reynolds served as the lead announcer for Michigan State Football broadcasts on WJR over a 21-year span.
Retirement[edit]
In a gesture of goodwill, Pat Summerall, then with CBS, extended get well wishes to Reynolds during the networks Thanksgiving Day Game featuring the Lions in Week 4 Reynolds was recuperating from an undisclosed ailment following hospitalization after broadcasting the Lions week 3 matchup of the 1982 NFL season against the Chicago Bears[2]
Though he lived for nearly two more decades, the severity of his hospitalization and subsequent effects led Reynolds to retire from calling both Lions and Spartans games.
It is worth noting that Reynolds shared no familial ties with the Bob Reynolds who played in the NFL and co-owned the California Angels baseball team with Gene Autry. Furthermore, he bore no relation to the Bob Reynolds who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and New England Patriots from 1963 to 1973.
Death[edit]
Bob Reynolds passed away at the age of 85 on February 4, 2000.[3]
Honors & Awards[edit]
Reynolds was honored with the Michigan Sportscaster of the Year award on four occasions, receiving the distinction in 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1974.[4]
In 1998, Reynolds was inducted into The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, Reynolds was inducted posthumously as part of the inaugural class of the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Station-Albums/WJR-50-Years.pdf
- ↑ "1982 Week 4 Thanksgiving - Giants vs. Lions". 26 November 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
- ↑ "Robert (Bob) Reynolds".
- ↑ "Michigan".
- ↑ "Hall of Fame".
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