Dave Van Horne

Last updated
Dave Van Horne
Dave Van Horne 2011 (cropped).jpg
Van Horne in 2011
Born
David Van Horne

(1939-08-25) August 25, 1939 (age 85)
Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Awards Montreal Expos Hall of Fame
Ford C. Frick Award (2011)
Baseball career
Member of the Canadian
Empty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgEmpty Star.svg Baseball Hall of Fame Empty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgEmpty Star.svg
Induction2014

David Van Horne (born August 25, 1939) is an American retired Major League Baseball broadcaster whose big-league announcing career lasted for 53 seasons. He was honoured at the National Baseball Hall of Fame as winner of the Ford C. Frick Award in 2011.

Contents

Van Horne was the lead play-by-play announcer for the Miami Marlins Radio Network from 2001 through 2021; prior to that, he spent 32 years of his broadcasting career with the Montreal Expos, 14 of those years partnered with Duke Snider. In 2003, he described games of the World Series-champion Florida Marlins.

Early career

Van Horne attended and graduated from Wilson Area High School in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1957. Van Horne entered the drama department at the Richmond Professional Institute in Richmond, Virginia. While at the school he began hosting a Top 40 program at a local radio station, which led to his dropping out of school and starting a full-time broadcasting career in Roanoke, where he began calling high school football and basketball. This led in turn to Van Horne calling baseball for the Richmond Braves, the Class AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, beginning in 1966. He was hired by the Montreal Expos [1] for their inaugural season in 1969. [2]

Montreal Expos (1969–2000)

Van Horne broadcast the Expos first game on April 14, 1969, and their ninth game on April 17, when Bill Stoneman pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. [3] Across his tenure, he also got to call Willie Mays' 3,000th hit, Pete Rose's 4,000th hit, and two additional no-hitters (another by Stoneman in 1972, and Charlie Lea's in 1980). [4]

Van Horne is well known for his "El Presidente, El Perfecto!" call, made when Montreal Expos pitcher Dennis Martínez completed his perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 28, 1991. With the Expos, his sign-in phrase "Thanks Duke and hi again, everybody. Glad to have you aboard for today's game...", and home run call "up, up and away" projected his enthusiasm and excitement.

In 2000, as the Expos had not secured an English radio or television contract, Van Horne broadcast the season over the Internet. [5] With the Expos broadcast situation still unsettled for the 2001 season, Van Horne left at the end of 2000 to broadcast for the Marlins.

Florida/Miami Marlins (2001–2021)

Beginning in 2001, Van Horne broadcast games for the Marlins. During his time in Florida, he called the 2003 World Series championship.

Van Horne broadcast the last Expos home game in Montreal from the Marlins' broadcast booth on September 29, 2004—a 9–1 win for Florida. After the game was over, Van Horne joined the Expos television crew for a special post-game show. [6]

By the 2020s, Van Horne had his schedule reduced substantially [7] on the order of the radio station. [8] After calling 54 games in 2021, he was offered a 20-game schedule for the 2022 season. [9] In January 2022, Van Horne rejected the offer and instead officially announced his retirement from broadcasting. [10] [11]

Awards and honors

Van Horne was named the 1996 recipient of the Jack Graney Award by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for "A lifetime of media achievement". He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 21, 2014, along with former Montreal Expos general manager Murray Cook and third baseman Tim Wallach.

Van Horne is the 2011 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. [12] He received the award on July 23, 2011 in Cooperstown, New York. [13]

Personal life

Van Horne married Josée, and they have six children: David, Jim, Jeff, Dewayne, Jon and Madison. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ Zurkowsky, Herb (January 17, 2022). "Montreal near and dear to legendary Expos broadcaster Dave Van Horne". Montreal Gazette.
  2. ↑ "Dave Van Horne – Society for American Baseball Research". Sabr.org. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  3. ↑ King, Norm. "Dave Van Horne". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  4. ↑ King, Norm. "Dave Van Horne". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "under EXPOSed". Canadianbaseballnews.com. 2000-04-18. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  6. ↑ Final game for the Montreal Expos on YouTube
  7. ↑ Halberstam, David J. "Hall of Famer Dave Van Horne pushed out by Marlins; Original Expos' voice gone after 53 years". sportsbroadcastjournal.com. Sports Broadcast Journal. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Di Nicola, Christina. "HOF broadcaster Van Horne retires". mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Jackson, Barry. "Miami Marlins radio voice Dave Van Horne retires. Here's why and what listeners can expect". miamiherald.com. The Miam Herald. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "Dave Van Horne Retires As Radio Voice Of Miami Marlins". Barrett Sports Media. January 17, 2022.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Barry (January 15, 2022). "Miami Marlins radio voice Dave Van Horne retires. Here's why and what listeners can expect". Miami Herald.
  12. ↑ "Broadcaster Van Horne wins Hall's Frick Award". ESPN.com. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "HOF Weekend 2011". National Baseball Hall of Fame. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  14. ↑ "David Van Horne". montrealgazette.remembering.ca. Montreal Gazette Obituaries. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
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