Robert Oliver Fouts (December 19, 1921 – July 7, 2019) was an American sportscaster who was best known for his work as a
play-by-play
In Broadcasting of sports events, sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as a sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real time (media), real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present t ...
announcer for
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
football.
Biography
Bob worked with
Lon Simmons
Lonnie Alexander "Lon" Simmons (July 19, 1923 – April 5, 2015) was an American sports announcer, best known for his play-by-play broadcasts of San Francisco Giants baseball and San Francisco 49ers football.
He was born in Vancouver, Wash ...
on radio and television broadcasts for the 49ers in the 1950s. He also called basketball games for the
Saint Mary's Gaels
The Saint Mary's Gaels are the athletic teams that compete at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California. The nickname applies to the college's intercollegiate NCAA Division I teams and to the school's club sports teams. Most vars ...
and other schools and covered ice hockey, golf,
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
San Francisco Seals, track-and-field, and even wrestling. Fouts was elected into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2008. He also covered the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
and served as sports anchor for
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV (channel 5), branded on-air as CBS Bay Area, is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving as the CBS network outlet for the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS ...
and
KGO-TV
KGO-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been owned and operated by the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network through its ABC Owne ...
and called games for the
San Francisco Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
.
Personal
Bob attended
Christian Brothers High School and
St. Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California, United States. Established in 1863, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs with a total stud ...
and then went to serve in the
U.S. Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He resided with his wife in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and had five children, one of whom,
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former professional football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973–1987). After a relatively und ...
, went on to become a
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
quarterback and football broadcaster.
References
External links
Bob Fouts – KSFO/49ers Promotional Photo – Circa 1958*
Celebrating The Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame – Class of 2008!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fouts, Bob
1921 births
2019 deaths
American radio sports announcers
American television sports announcers
College basketball announcers in the United States
Golden State Warriors announcers
American golf commentators
Ice hockey commentators
Minor League Baseball broadcasters
NBA broadcasters
NFL announcers
Olympic Games broadcasters
Mass media people from Sacramento, California
Saint Mary's College of California alumni
San Francisco 49ers announcers
Track and field broadcasters
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II