Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman has announced his retirement.
Speaking at Wednesday's Reds on Radio affiliates luncheon, Brennaman said the 2019 season will be his final season in the Reds Radio Network booth.
During his storied career, Brennaman has been honored with a host of awards.
Brennaman received the Ford C. Frick Award on July 23, 2000, in ceremonies at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The award is presented each year by the Hall of Fame to a broadcaster “for major contributions to the game of baseball.” Brennaman, Red Barber (WSAI, 1934-1938), Al Helfer (WSAI, 1935-36) and Russ Hodges (WFBE, 1932) are the only Reds announcers ever to receive the Hall of Fame’s prestigious broadcasting award.
On May 2, 2005 Marty was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in Salisbury, NC. On November 5, 2005 he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. In 1999 he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. In October 2013 he was inducted into the Hampton Roads (VA) Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009 he was selected by the American Sportscasters Association as one of the Top 50 broadcasters of all time. In January 2013 he received the Tom Hammond Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports Broadcasting, presented by the Bluegrass Sports Commission in Lexington, Ky.
The 2019 season will be Brennaman’s 55th as a broadcaster, his 46th in Cincinnati. He joined the Reds radio team in 1974 and for 31 seasons (1974-2004) shared the radio booth with Reds Hall of Fame pitcher Joe Nuxhall.
Brennaman has been named Ohio Sportscaster of the Year 17 times, most recently in 2018. He won the Virginia Sportscaster of the Year Award 4 times while broadcasting basketball games for the American Basketball Association’s Virginia Squires, baseball games for the New York Mets’ Class AAA affiliate in Norfolk and football games for both Virginia Tech and William & Mary. He also has broadcast games during the NCAA’s men’s basketball tournament, including 15 regional tournaments and 11 Final Fours. His son, Thom, is a Reds broadcaster.