Gib Shanley (Official Thread)

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Shanley, voice of Browns, dies at 76 Served as sportscaster on WEWS for 20 years, 'Quarterback Club' host
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Monday, Apr 07, 2008
Sports fans in Northeast Ohio 40 years old or older felt that they knew Gib Shanley courtesy of his witty charm, intelligence and a touch of crustiness that proved endearing, never annoying.
Shanley, the sportscaster for WEWS (Channel 5) for 20 years, died at the age of 76 Sunday. Although he's a legend at the local ABC affiliate, what many will remember about Shanley more is that he was the voice of Browns football on the radio.
''He will always be the voice of the Cleveland Browns for me,'' said WEWS sports director Andy Baskin, who now occupies Shanley's former seat.
In that role, he called the last championship of any note that a Cleveland sports team won ? the Browns' 1964 win over the Baltimore Colts.



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[osugrad21]

CPD

GIB SHANLEY 1931-2008 Shanley

Colorful sportscaster was voice of Browns
Monday, April 07, 2008Bob Dolgan
Special to The Plain Dealer
Gib Shanley, the radio voice of the Browns for a generation of fans and the face of sports at WEWS Channel 5 for 20 years, died Sunday. He was 76. The cause of death was not immediately released.
The colorful sportscaster called the most recent world championship won by any Cleveland team, the Browns' 27-0 vic- tory over Balti more in the 1964 NFL title game. But he also called his share of heart breaking de feats, notably the playoff loss to Oakland in January 1981, when Brian Sipe was intercepted in the end zone late in the game.
He also called the first 15 games of the Browns' "Three Rivers jinx" losses in Pittsburgh. The Browns did not win a game in Pittsburgh from the opening of Three Rivers Stadium in 1970 until 1986.

A native of Bellaire, Ohio, Shanley was merely a successful Cleveland sportscaster until Nov. 8, 1979.
That night he burned an Iranian flag on television and became a folk hero.
The incident took place while Iran was holding a group of Americans hostage in Tehran.




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[osugrad21]

ABJ

Gib Shanley tributes fill local shows Published on Tuesday, Apr 08, 2008



It has been said that a measure of a person can be determined by the number of people who show up at his funeral.
In the world of journalism, especially in the niche of sports, where breaking news is rare, the measure of a person after he dies is gathered by what his contemporaries say about him.
After sifting through the coverage Sunday given to the death of Gib Shanley, a man I never had the chance to meet, it's easy to see that his colleagues and those sports reporters who came after him respected him greatly.

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[osugrad21]

CPD

REMEMBERING GIB SHANLEY: Former Cleveland sportscaster Gib Shanley had an interesting fashion style, but he is most remembered for his vocal style.

Shanley's voice made him choice as king of Cleveland TV sports'
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
John Telich grew up wanting to be Gib Shanley.
"I even wore those same wild horse-blanket-type sport coats that Gib did on the air," said Telich, a veteran WJW Channel 8 sportscaster.
Telich added that he imitated Shanley's crisp, short, clear play-by-play style doing the Browns on the radio.

Some fans may remember Shanley saying as the Browns prepared for a field goal: "The set. The snap. The kick. It's up. It's . . . good!!!"
In addition to being the radio voice of the Browns, he did local television sports reports on WEWS Channel 5 from 1963 to 1984.
"Gib was the king of Cleveland TV sports in an era," said Jeff Phelps, a Cavs television show host who also worked with Shanley from 1987 to 1996 at WUAB Channel 43.
Shanley died Sunday at the age of 76. He had back surgery several months ago, contracted an infection and then pneumonia. He called the Browns' games on radio from 1961 to 1984.
Dan Coughlin, a former Plain Dealer sportswriter, was a good friend of Shanley's. He said Shanley, who grew up in Shadyside, Ohio, was a "very good gin player, a man who liked to bet on the horses and go to Las Vegas."




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