Felo Ramírez

Felo Ramirez
Born Rafael Ramirez
(1923-06-22) June 22, 1923
Bayamo, Cuba
Nationality Cuban
Occupation Baseball play-by-play announcer
Years active 1945–present
Employer Miami Marlins

Rafael (Felo) Ramírez (born in Bayamo, Cuba, on June 22, 1923)[1] is the Cuban-American Spanish language radio voice of the Miami Marlins. Ramirez is also a boxing expert, having broadcast fights for Latin American radio and television audiences since 1949 along with other Spanish-language broadcasters such as Buck Canel, Pancho Pepe Cróquer and Ivonne Class when the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports, aired through NBC Red Network, extended their Spanish programming activities to Latin American countries, where it was known as the Cabalgata Deportiva Gillette.

Career (1945-present)

Ramirez has called more than 40 Caribbean World Series.[2] He served as a broadcaster for nine years in his native Cuba, before leaving for Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Since 1993, he has been the Spanish radio announcer for the Miami Marlins. He has called many baseball moments in his career, including Don Larsen's perfect game, Roberto Clemente's 3,000th Major League hit, and Hank Aaron's 715th home run.

As a Marlins broadcaster, Ramirez has called both the 1997[3] and 2003 World Series.

In addition to his baseball career, he has also called numerous boxing matches, including many involving Muhammad Ali.[4]

Personal Life

Ramírez was born in Bayamo, Cuba, and is commonly known as "El Orgullo de Bayamo" ("The Pride of Bayamo") by many fans and colleagues. A longtime resident of Puerto Rico, he was inducted in the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame and has been honored by the local legislature.

Awards and Honors

In 2001, Ramirez received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His speech, delivered entirely in his native Spanish, was translated by Jaime Jarrin. In 2003, he was inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 2012, Ramirez received a recognition in Valencia, Venezuela. The Magallanes organization honored his career of more than 60 years as a sports play by play announcer.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/12/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.