Bob Starr (sportscaster)

This article is about the American sportscaster. For the American professional wrestler, see Bob Starr (wrestler).

James Robert "Bob" Starr (1933 – August 3, 1998 in Orange, California) was an American sportscaster.

Biography

Born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised by adoptive parents in Oklahoma, Starr attended Coffeyville Junior College and then the University of Kansas, where he played football and baseball. Following a stint in the U.S. Army, Starr began his broadcasting career calling high school and college basketball in Illinois. Starr's first TV job was as a sports anchor on WMBD-TV in Peoria, Illinois, where he also broadcast basketball games for Bradley University. In 1966, Starr was hired by WBZ radio in Boston to call Boston Patriots and Boston College Eagles football games. In 1971 Starr left Boston to begin work as Sports Director for KTVU television in Oakland, California.

In 1972, Starr moved to St. Louis to work for KMOX radio and call games for the St. Louis Cardinals and Missouri Tigers football teams and the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Starr would spend most of his career in Anaheim, CA, where he called Los Angeles Rams football and California Angels baseball from 1980-1989. During his years in St. Louis and Anaheim, Starr also broadcast several football bowl games.

In 1990, Starr returned to Boston to replace Ken Coleman on Red Sox radio. Starr would spend three years with the Red Sox before returning to call Rams and Angels games. Steve Physioc would replace Starr on Rams radio in 1994 and Starr would retire from Angels radio in 1997. Starr died at his home in Orange, California, August 3rd, 1998 of respiratory failure and pulmonary fibrosis.