George Grande

George Grande

• School University of Southern California
• High School The Gunnery

• Born 1947

Biographical Information

George Grande was a broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds and also the first host of SportsCenter on ESPN.

Witness to History

Although his own accomplishments won't get him into Cooperstown, or any other hall of fame for that matter, Grande has often found himself a witness to history. While playing college baseball on the great USC teams of the late 1960s on which he found himself alongside 14 future major leaguers. He even managed to win the 1968 College World Series while a less talented and famous teammate of Tom Seaver.

In 1979, Grande forever secured a place in trivia history when he anchored the first SportsCenter alongside Lee Leonard on the fledgling ESPN. One of his most stellar accomplishments comes as an emcee for Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies from 1980 to 2010.

Reds Career and Broadcasting Style

George Grande was a play-by-play broadcaster for the New York Yankees in 1989 and 1990 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991-1992. In 1993, he teamed up with former Major League pitcher Chris Welsh to form the longest-serving TV broadcasting team in Reds' history, working together on SportsChannel Cincinnati and Fox Sports Ohio until 2009. After stepping down from full-time work after that season, he returned for periodic stints on the air over the next decade.

His vanilla style often came under fire from Cincinnati fans, and even prominent sports radio hosts "The Two Angry Guys" have called him out for his frequent mistakes and blasÉ attitude.

Trivia

He honestly believes that Cardinals 2B Ronnie Belliard is named "Raphael"

Elizardo Ramirez' struggles in late 2006 began at almost exactly the time George Grande began calling him "EZ"