Name Bill Campbell | Role TV Anchor | |
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Died October 6, 2014, Camden, New Jersey, United States | ||
Bill Campbell (September 7, 1923 – October 6, 2014) was a longtime sportscaster in the Philadelphia area. He was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey .
Campbell began his broadcasting career at the age of 17 at a radio station in his hometown of Atlantic City. He moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1941 as a Minor League Baseball announcer, and then settled in Philadelphia in 1942, where he has been ever since. He first started at WIP before moving to WCAU in 1946 as sports director, taking the same position when WCAU-TV signed on in 1948, a post he held until 1966.
He was play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Warriors from their debut in 1946 until their move to San Francisco in 1962, calling Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. He was also play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1952–66, Philadelphia Phillies from 1963–70 and Philadelphia 76ers from 1972–81.
He later held down the 10 AM to noon slot at his first employer, WIP, when it switched to an all-sports format, from 1987–1991.
The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Campbell into their Hall of Fame in 1999 and named him their Person of the Year in 2008.
Campbell was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. He died on October 6, 2014, aged 91, at a hospital in Camden, New Jersey.
On February 1, 2016, the inaugural Bill Campbell Broadcast Award was presented by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association to longtime Philadelphia Eagles announcer Merrill Reese.