Astros’ Bill Brown Honored for 30 Years as Astros Broadcaster

The Astros helped announcer Bill Brown celebrate 30 years in front of the microphone on Sunday with a pre-game ceremony honoring his time here in Houston.

It was fitting that “Brownie” was honored before a game against the once heated rivals of the Astros, the Cincinnati Reds.  Brown started his broadcast career within the Reds organization, beginning in 1976 with the television crew.  He was a part of the Reds organization for six years, leaving in 1982.

Brown then came to Houston in 1987 and had been the voice heard in Houston living rooms for 27 full seasons.  Brownie’s voice has become an everyday part of life for most die-hard Astros fans as he has been a part of some of the most storied parts of the franchise’s history.  Brown was sitting in the booth letting fans know that Jeff Bagwell had hit his first career home run on April 15, 1991.

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He was as excited, if not more so, than every Astros fan at Minute Maid Park when screaming “line drive, right-center field, that’s number 3,000” into the microphone when Craig Biggio became baseball royalty, earning his 3,000th career hit on June 28, 2007.   And the words, “and he got him, a no-hitter for Mike Fiers,” will always be a symbol in the minds of fans for the surprising meteoric rise of the 2015 Wild Card Champion Houston Astros.

In 2011, the Astros honored Brownie for his 25th year with the club and, in 2012, earned the Baseball Writer’s Association of America Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service Award.  In 2004, Brownie was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and then was named the Texas Sportscaster of the Year in 2013.

“A special voice and a special man” –Geoff Blum

Bill is not only a great broadcaster, but he is also a great man.  He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Houston Taping for the Blind and has volunteered to read to the blind for more than 15 years.  In 2012, he was a candidate for the Ford C. Frick Award, which honors the broadcaster that has had the biggest impact on his/her era.

When speaking about the ceremony on air, Geoff Blum had this say about Bill; “a special voice and a special man.”  Always the model of class and professionalism, Brownie showed no pride; only thanked the fans in Houston and the Astros executives.

During the pre-game ceremony on the field, Brownie was presented with a gift from the organization.  He was given an Astros jersey from each of the jersey eras that the club has gone through in his time as the organization’s broadcaster.

The current jersey with the navy blue and orange color configuration was signed by all the players on the team.  On the field to present this gift to him, were Astros executives Jim Crane and Reid Ryan.  Craig Biggio and fellow broadcaster, Alan Ashby, were also on the field for the celebration.

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Congratulations to you Brownie and we hope to continue hearing your voice throughout Houston for years to come.