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Atlanta Braves broadcaster of 33 years, Skip Caray, passed away in his sleep on Sunday in his Atlanta-area home.
ATLANTA -- Skip Caray, the longtime voice of the Atlanta Braves passed away in his sleep at his suburban Atlanta home on Sunday. Caray, 68, was in his 33rd season as a broadcaster for the Braves.
"Our baseball community has lost a legend today," said Braves President John Schuerholz. "The Braves family and Braves fans everywhere will sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with his wife Paula and his children."
Caray, the son of Hall of Fame Broadcaster Harry Caray, is survived by his wife Paula and his four children. Funeral arrangements have not been announced at this time.
A graduate of the University of Missouri, Caray got his start broadcasting baseball in 1963 with the Tulsa Drillers. Caray began calling the action for the Braves along with partner Pete Van Wieren on TBS in 1976.
In 2004, the team inducted both Caray and Van Wieren into the Braves Hall of Fame. The duo has served as the primary voice of the Braves on the Radio Network for the past two seasons.
Caray also worked select dates for local Braves television affiliate Peachtree TV this season. His 32-year stint with TBS ended last October when the station opted to drop the Braves in favor of a weekly national broadcast and post-season coverage.
While Caray's health had limited his play-by-play duties solely to home games this year, he still brought his infectious wit and trademark style to work with him each night. The final game of his storied career occured last Thursday, as the Braves appropriately defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a 7-2 final score.
"He was somebody that put a feeling into the game," said Braves legend Hank Aaron on Monday. "He was put here to broadcast... Some people are put here to play baseball, Skip was put here to announce games behind the mic."
That calling has been carried on through a bloodline that includes sons Chip Caray, who returned to the Atlanta broadcast team in 2005, and Josh Caray, who is the play-by-play announcer for the Braves Single-A affiliate in Rome.
"He was always honest," added Schuerholz. "He would never make up a criticism of somebody, nor would he make up a praise of someone. He was always brutally honest about what he saw and what he felt, and wanted the fans to know what that was."
Caray made the initial move to Atlanta while broadcasting basketball for the then St. Louis Hawks, when the team relocated in 1968. In addition to basketball, Caray also broadcasted football for Turner's TNT Sunday Night game in 1990 and 1991 as well as the 1990 Goodwill Games on TBS.
"He was a friend and a colleague and a partner," said Schuerholz. "I'd say the void created by his leaving is as big as any void that could be imagined. He was iconic in his stature and was the voice and sometimes the conscience of the Braves. He was the heartbeat of the Braves."
Other Skip Caray Audio...
Skip jokes with Chip about his legacy
© 2008