Ray Scott

Ray Scott

• High School Connellsville High School

• Born June 17, 1919 in Johnstown, PA USA
• Died March 23, 1998 in Minneapolis, MN USA

Biographical Information

A broadcaster for sixty years, Ray Scott was actually more famous as a football broadcaster. He began his career in Johnstown, Pennsylvania before moving on to Pittsburgh after four years of service in the Army during World War II.

In 1952, Scott had the idea of putting the National Football League on national television. None of the big three networks would take the idea so he put the games on the DuMont Network. When DuMont folded in 1955, CBS picked up games for 1956. Scott was signed to the Green Bay Packers, for whom he would call games for 19 seasons.

When the Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins in 1961, Senators broadcaster Bob Wolff broadcaster moved to Minnesota. The Twins added Scott to the announcing team, alongside Halsey Hall, who had been broadcasting minor league games in Minnesota for a time. Scott had almost no experience announcing baseball game, but he learned quickly. The novelty of major league baseball in Minnesota made Scott an instant celebrity. In addition, many fans had heard him call Packers games as the Minnesota Vikings did not join the NFL until 1960. Wolff left after one season, and Scott took over as lead announcer, with Herb Carneal rounding out the team who did both radio and television work.

Scott stayed with the Twins through 1966, when he was replaced by Merle Harmon. From 1967 to 1969, he worked exclusively for CBS doing football and golf. He joined the Washington Senators for 1970 and 1971. He was again part time with the Twins in 1973 and 1975. Scott also worked for the Milwaukee Brewers (1976-1977) and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1982 to 1993. He also called football in local markets after leaving CBS in 1974.

Ray Scott finally retired from broadcasting in 1997 when he gave up his weekly radio program. His career spanned seven decades. He was awarded the 2000 Rozelle Award for excellence in football coverage.

Further Reading

• Stew Thornley: "Ray Scott", in Gregory H. Wolf, ed.: A Pennant for the Twin Cities: the 1965 Minnesota Twins, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 347-350. ISBN 978-1-943816-09-5

Related Sites

• Ray Scott at the SABR Bio Project