Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Former Twin Cities Sportscaster Boyle Passes Away

He was a familiar face and voice to Twin Cities sports fans back when KARE 11 was WTCN-TV and an independent station broadcasting the Twins, North Stars and state high school tournaments.

Joe Boyle, who was the sports director for Channel 11 passed away in Arizona at the age of 84.

Boyle had a variety of tasks at the station where the studios were in the Calhoun Beach Manor in Minneapolis before moving into its current home in Golden Valley in 1973.  He was the station's sports director who was seen on the nightly 9:30 newscasts, hosted the post game scoreboard show following Twins and North Stars games and did the play-by-play for the state high school and basketball tournaments until the station became an NBC affiliate in 1979 and lost the rights to the hockey tournament to KSTP-TV and the basketball tournament went to then newly independent KMSP.

In addition to the scoreboard shows, Boyle also was the color commentator and later play-by-play voice for the North Stars.  He would also replace Larry Calton on the station's Twins telecasts midway through the 1975 season and continue in that capacity until 1978.  He would be joined in the TV booth in 1976 by one of the greatest players in Twins history, Harmon Killebrew.  Boyle would also handle play-by-play for the station's coverage of University of Minnesota basketball and hockey.

In 1972, Boyle would call the action when the station carried the inaugural state football finals.  Channel 11 carried both the Class A and AA championship games that were played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.  He also did the station's coverage of the 1974 Class AA football final between Bloomington Jefferson and Rochester John Marshall.

After WTCN became an NBC affiliate in 1979, Boyle would leave the station and become a freelance broadcaster.  Later that year, he would call a college basketball game for ESPN where his color man would become one of the best known personalities on the network, Dick Vitale.  Vitale is still bringing his flair and enthusiasm to ESPN's college basketball coverage.

Boyle's legacy lives on.  His son Mark, a 1975 graduate of St. Louis Park High School begins his 30th season as the radio voice of the Indiana Pacers.  Back in the days when Channel 11 was an independent, Boyle was a familiar voice to high school sports, Twins and North Stars fans in the 70s.  May he rest in peace.

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