Bob Miller (sports announcer)
Encyclopedia
Robert James "Bob" Miller (born October 12, 1938 in Chicago
, Illinois
) is an American sportscaster
, best known as the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings
team of the National Hockey League
on Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket. Miller has held that post with the team since 1973 and has been partnered with Jim Fox for the last seventeen seasons.
Miller received his degree in communication studies from the University of Iowa
. While there, he began his broadcasting career, covering the school's football and basketball games.
After his graduation in 1960, Miller began working in television sports journalism in Wisconsin. He later would add announcing duties for the football and hockey teams at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
In 1972, Jiggs McDonald
, the Kings' original play-by-play announcer, left the team to join the expansion Atlanta Flames
. Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke
, who was also the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers
basketball team, put Lakers' announcer Francis "Chick" Hearn
in charge of the search for McDonald's replacement. Miller sent tapes to Hearn and earned Hearn's recommendation for the position. However, Cooke decided to hire long-time San Francisco Bay Area
announcer Roy Storey.
When Storey left the team after one season, the Kings turned their attention back to Miller, who was then hired in 1973 and has been their play-by-play announcer since. He has performed voice over and on-camera work for television shows and movies in scenes which included a hockey announcer. Among his credits are an episode of Cheers
and the films Rollerball
, Miracle on Ice
, The Mighty Ducks
and D2: The Mighty Ducks
. Nationally, he has worked for ESPN
and FOX
. He also called some games for FX during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey
.
Miller was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame
as the 2000 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, into the Los Angeles Kings Hall of Fame, into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame and into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame. The press box
at Staples Center
, the Kings' home arena, is named in his honor.
He received the 2,319th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on October 2, 2006. At the ceremony he noted, "My greatest fear is that I retire and the Kings win a Stanley Cup the next year."
Miller's broadcast partners have included Dan Avey
, Rich Marotta
, current Kings radio voice Nick Nickson
and Pete Weber
, the voice of the Nashville Predators
. Miller's current broadcast partner is former Los Angeles Kings
player Jim Fox.
Miller's first book, Tales From the Los Angeles Kings, was published in October 2006.
Miller is married, and he and his wife Judy have two children.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) is an American sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, best known as the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
team of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
on Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket. Miller has held that post with the team since 1973 and has been partnered with Jim Fox for the last seventeen seasons.
Miller received his degree in communication studies from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. While there, he began his broadcasting career, covering the school's football and basketball games.
After his graduation in 1960, Miller began working in television sports journalism in Wisconsin. He later would add announcing duties for the football and hockey teams at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
In 1972, Jiggs McDonald
Jiggs McDonald
John Kenneth "Jiggs" McDonald is a sportscaster who did play-by-play announcing for NHL games for almost 40 years. In 1990, McDonald received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame....
, the Kings' original play-by-play announcer, left the team to join the expansion Atlanta Flames
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...
. Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
, who was also the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
basketball team, put Lakers' announcer Francis "Chick" Hearn
Chick Hearn
Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn was an American sportscaster. Known primarily as the long-time play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, the legendary Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, inventing colorful phrases such...
in charge of the search for McDonald's replacement. Miller sent tapes to Hearn and earned Hearn's recommendation for the position. However, Cooke decided to hire long-time San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
announcer Roy Storey.
When Storey left the team after one season, the Kings turned their attention back to Miller, who was then hired in 1973 and has been their play-by-play announcer since. He has performed voice over and on-camera work for television shows and movies in scenes which included a hockey announcer. Among his credits are an episode of Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
and the films Rollerball
Rollerball (1975 film)
Rollerball is a 1975 American dystopian fiction film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by William Harrison, who adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which first appeared in 1973 in Esquire magazine.-The Game:...
, Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
, The Mighty Ducks
The Mighty Ducks
The Mighty Ducks is the first film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy, produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and originally released on October 2, 1992. In the UK and Australia, the film was titled Champions...
and D2: The Mighty Ducks
D2: The Mighty Ducks
D2: The Mighty Ducks is the second film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and the first theatrical sequel to The Mighty Ducks. It was produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and it was originally released on March 25, 1994...
. Nationally, he has worked for ESPN
ESPN National Hockey Night
ESPN National Hockey Night was ESPN's weekly television broadcasts of National Hockey League regular season games and coverage of playoff games, broadcast from 1992 to 2004...
and FOX
FOX NHL Saturday
NHL on Fox is a television program that televised National Hockey League games on the Fox television network and produced by Fox Sports. The program ran from the 1994–1995 NHL season until the 1998–1999 NHL season. Fox paid $31 million a year to televise the NHL...
. He also called some games for FX during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey
1996 World Cup of Hockey
The first World Cup of Hockey , or 1996 World Cup of Hockey, replaced the Canada Cup as one of the premier championships for professional ice hockey ....
.
Miller was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
as the 2000 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, into the Los Angeles Kings Hall of Fame, into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame and into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame. The press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
at Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
, the Kings' home arena, is named in his honor.
He received the 2,319th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on October 2, 2006. At the ceremony he noted, "My greatest fear is that I retire and the Kings win a Stanley Cup the next year."
Miller's broadcast partners have included Dan Avey
Dan Avey
Dan Avey was a radio personality and newscaster who worked for over 30 years in the Los Angeles area and received more than 30 major journalism awards including 15 Golden Mikes....
, Rich Marotta
Rich Marotta
Rich Marotta is an American sportscaster in Los Angeles, California. He was the color analyst for the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL alongside Bob Miller, the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL, and Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA. He currently calls boxing on Fox Sports Net television, pay per...
, current Kings radio voice Nick Nickson
Nick Nickson
Nicholas R. Nickson is an American sportscaster who currently serves as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League....
and Pete Weber
Pete Weber (broadcaster)
Pete Weber is the play-by-play voice of the NHL's Nashville Predators, a position he has held with the organization since the team's first season ....
, the voice of the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Miller's current broadcast partner is former Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
player Jim Fox.
Miller's first book, Tales From the Los Angeles Kings, was published in October 2006.
Miller is married, and he and his wife Judy have two children.
See also
- http://www.callofthegame.com/news/index.php?itemid=1918