Pat Marsden
Encyclopedia
Patrick Francis Marsden was a Canadian sportscaster and voice of the Canadian Football League
play-by-play coverage in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked as host for the historic 1972 Canada-Soviet Union hockey Summit Series
sports telecasts.
Marsden was born in Ottawa
and attended St. Patrick's High School
and the University of Ottawa
, where he started his sportscasting career at local station CKOY
.
He later became sports director at CFTO
in Toronto
, and became immersed in all local and national sporting events. He even appeared as "John Marsden" in an episode of Bizarre
(filmed at CFTO), in a Super Dave Osborne
stunt
at Toronto's CN Tower
.
Fired in 1985 after a physical altercation with his boss Ted Steubing (he threw Steubing over a desk after Stuebing made a very off-colour remark about Pat's Irish heritage), Marsden then was hired by his CTV
football broadcasting partner Bill Stephenson at CFRB, went to TSN
, and later surfaced at The Fan 590. After helping to rebuild and essentially help create the image for The Fan 590, he retired in 2004.
Marsden spent most of his time in Florida
due to what he felt was the socialization of Canadian society, but he continued to maintain a home in Toronto
.
He returned in 1996 to live in Toronto
with his family joining him and died of lung cancer
on April 27, 2006, aged 69, at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.
He is survived by his wife Terryanne (Terry Marsden, former broadcaster with CTV, host of "Toronto Today" 1982 to 1990) and their children Taylor and Connor.
Also survived by (ex-wife Barbara) and Pat's children from his first marriage (Mike, Patti-Lee, and Ruth Mary).
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
play-by-play coverage in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked as host for the historic 1972 Canada-Soviet Union hockey Summit Series
Summit Series
The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972...
sports telecasts.
Marsden was born in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and attended St. Patrick's High School
St. Patrick's High School
St. Patrick High School, St. Patrick's High School and other variants may refer to:In Canada:*St. Patrick's High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia*St. Patrick's High School in Ottawa, Ontario...
and the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
, where he started his sportscasting career at local station CKOY
CIWW (AM)
CIWW is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1310 kHz on the AM dial in Ottawa, Ontario. Owned by Rogers Communications, CIWW is one of several Rogers-owned stations with an all-news format, in this case branded as 1310News...
.
He later became sports director at CFTO
CFTO-TV
CFTO-DT, broadcast on channel 9 and cable 8, is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Currently branded as CTV Toronto, it is the flagship station of the CTV Television Network, and was one of the charter members of the network when it was launched in 1961. It...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and became immersed in all local and national sporting events. He even appeared as "John Marsden" in an episode of Bizarre
Bizarre (TV series)
Bizarre is a weekly Canadian sketch comedy series, airing from 1980 to 1985. The show was hosted by John Byner, and produced by CTV at the CFTO Glen-Warren Studios in suburban Toronto for first-run airing in Canada on CTV and in the United States on the Showtime premium cable network.-Synopsis:The...
(filmed at CFTO), in a Super Dave Osborne
Super Dave Osborne
Super Dave Osborne is a character created and played by comedian Bob Einstein. He is a naive but optimistic stuntman who is frequently injured when his stunts go wrong.-Appearance history:...
stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
at Toronto's CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
.
Fired in 1985 after a physical altercation with his boss Ted Steubing (he threw Steubing over a desk after Stuebing made a very off-colour remark about Pat's Irish heritage), Marsden then was hired by his CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
football broadcasting partner Bill Stephenson at CFRB, went to TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, and later surfaced at The Fan 590. After helping to rebuild and essentially help create the image for The Fan 590, he retired in 2004.
Marsden spent most of his time in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
due to what he felt was the socialization of Canadian society, but he continued to maintain a home in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
He returned in 1996 to live in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
with his family joining him and died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on April 27, 2006, aged 69, at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.
He is survived by his wife Terryanne (Terry Marsden, former broadcaster with CTV, host of "Toronto Today" 1982 to 1990) and their children Taylor and Connor.
Also survived by (ex-wife Barbara) and Pat's children from his first marriage (Mike, Patti-Lee, and Ruth Mary).