Braves Hall of Fame Member Pete Van Wieren Announces his Retirem

Pete Van Wieren, a member of the Braves Hall of Fame has announced his retirement, ending his 33 years as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. He spent this past season doing radio exclusively for 94.9 the Bull, 640 WGST and the Braves Radio Network, but had been a part of the Braves broadcasts on TBS for many of those 33 years.

"This is something my family and I have been thinking about the last couple of years," said Van Wieren. "It's simply a desire to live my life without the restrictions of a baseball schedule. I want to thank the Braves, my broadcast partners and especially the fans for their support over the years."

Since joining the Braves network in 1975, "The Professor" as he is known throughout baseball, has also covered the Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League, the Hawks and the Atlanta Falcons NFL pre-season football. He also served as a sports reporter for CNN and served as a play-by-play announcer on TBS's Big Ten Conference college football games.

"This is a monumental moment in Braves history and a sad one for me personally," said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz. "Pete has been in our homes and in our lives as one of the great Braves voices, and we will sorely miss him. We wish him many years of good health and happiness in his retirement after 33 years as a beloved and admired voice of the Atlanta Braves."

In 2006, Van Wieren won the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year Award from the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, marking the 10th time he won the honor (1980, 1988-95, 2006). He was dubbed Atlanta's Favorite Sportscaster in 1977 by the Atlanta Journal.

In 2004, he was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame, along with fellow announcer Skip Caray, who passed away this past August. In 2000, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell declared July 30th "Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren Day" in honor of their 25 years of broadcasting Braves games.

Prior to joining Turner, he began his broadcasting career working as the play-by-play man for the Tidewater Tides of the International League for two years. He has also broadcast hockey, college and professional basketball and college and professional football. He also has been a sportscaster for WDHO-TV, Toledo, Ohio; WNBF-AM/FM/TV and WINR-AM/TV, both in Binghamton, NY; WPRW-AM/FM, Manassas, Va.; and WEER-AM/FM, Warrenton, Va.

Van Wieren, who was born in Rochester, NY, attended Cornell University. He and his wife Elaine live in Alpharetta, Ga. They have two children, Steven and Jon.

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