Ken Coleman

Ken Coleman

Ken Coleman, born in Quincy, Massachusetts, left his mark in Northeast Ohio. A graduate of Curry College, Coleman broke into broadcasting with the Cleveland Browns (1952-1965), calling play-by-play of every touchdown that Hall of Fame running back Jimmy Brown ever scored. He also began his MLB broadcasting career on the North Coast, calling the Tribe games on television for 10 seasons (1954-1963). In his first year with the Indians, Coleman called their record-setting 111-win season and their World Series loss to the New York Giants.

In 1965, Ken returned home and got the job broadcasting with the Boston Red Sox, replacing Curt Gowdy for NBC television and radio. From 1975-1978 Coleman worked with the Cincinnati Reds television crew. Coleman also broadcast college football for various teams, including The Ohio State University, Harvard and Boston University. He returned to Boston in 1979 and remained in the Red Sox radio booth until his retirement in 1989.

Additionally, he wrote books on sportscasting and was intimately involved with the Jimmy Fund, which raises money for cancer research. Coleman followed the routine of taking a swim in the Atlantic Ocean as often as he could through the late fall and into the earliest days of spring, until his death.

In addition to his other many achievements, Coleman received the Award for Excellence in Broadcasting from  Cleveland Association of Broadcasters in 2005 and was followed by his son, Casey, sportscaster and newsman, the following year—the only father and son recipients of the award.    

“They usually show movies on a flight like that”.-Ken Coleman’s signature home run call.