Ross Porter (sportscaster)

American sportscaster (born 1938)

Ross U. Porter Jr. (born November 29, 1938) is an American sportscaster, known for his 28 year tenure (1977–2004) as a play by play announcer for Los Angeles Dodgers baseball.

Porter was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and graduated from Shawnee High School in 1955, then went on to earn a radio journalism degree at the University of Oklahoma. His broadcasting career began in 1953 at age 14, when he broadcast a few innings of several baseball games involving the Class D Shawnee Hawks, a Brooklyn Dodgers farm club, over KGFF. At age 15, Porter was elevated to play by play man of the Shawnee Wolves' football and basketball broadcasts and the Hawks when their regular announcer resigned. At a high school football game one night, Ross was introduced by his father to the legendary Jim Thorpe.

Porter was known for providing fans with statistical information on players during his broadcasts. He was the host of a pregame and postgame radio show known as DodgerTalk for 14 years, answering phone calls from listeners with questions pertaining to baseball. He was voted Los Angeles Sportstalk Host of the Year the first three years the award was presented by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association, and later won it a fourth time. Porter helped broadcast the 1977 World Series and 1978 World Series, both involving the Dodgers, on over 600 CBS Radio stations around the world. Ross also did Game of the Week broadcasts for CBS Radio in the 1980s and '90s. His most famous national call is from the sixth and final game of the 1977 Series, during which Reggie Jackson smacked three home runs on three consecutive pitches. The capper:

Porter married his wife Lin 62 years ago,in 1961. They have two sets of boy/girl twins, ages 59 and 54, and 11 grandchildren 9 boys and 2 girls. He currently lives in West Hills, California.