Bob Wolff, who has been on the air for 78 years, including a stint with the Minnesota Twins died July 15 at the age of 96.
HHe began his career in 1339 while he was a student at Duke University, working at the campus radio station. He worked for the CBS station in Durham, NC before becoming the broadcast voice of the Washington Senators in 1947. Wolff remained with the team until they moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1961.
Wolff was part of the Twins original broadcast team that included Ray Scott and Halsey Hall. They all worked both radio and TV. Wolff would leave the Twins following their inaugural season to go to NBC's Game of the Week coverage and also the Madison Square Garden Network. He would be replaced by a man who would eventually be the Voice of the Twins for 44 years, Herb Carneal.
When Wolff called baseball at NBC, his sidekick, in his first stint with the network was Joe Garagiola. Prior to joining NBC, he did the play-by-play for Mutual's Game of the day that also included the 1956 World Series. Wolff was behind the mike when Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history that year.
In his long tenure with Madison Square Garden, he broadcast many events, including the Knicks on WOR-TV in New York and the Rangers and was also the long time voice of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show that has aired for years on the USA Network. He also broadcast horse shows, tennis, boxing, bowling and boxing.
Wolff also broadcast football and was the network radio voice for the classic 1958 NFL Championship game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts.
Before concluding his record setting career, Wolff worked for News 12 Long Island. He was also the author of the book Bob Wolff's Complete Guide to Sportscasting, which was published in 2011.
A long running and versatile voice that has entertained and informed fans for almost eight decades has gone silent. Though he didn't work for a team longer than Vin Scully with the Dodgers, Wolff has had a long and storied career well into his 90s. May he rest in peace.
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