Don Wittman

Donald Rae Wittman (October 9, 1936[1] – January 19, 2008) was a Canadian sportscaster.

Don Wittman
Wittman broadcasting the 2002 Winter Olympics
Born
Donald Rae Wittman[1]

October 9, 1936[1]
Herbert, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedJanuary 19, 2008(2008-01-19) (aged 71)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Other namesWitt
OccupationCBC sportscaster

Early life and education

Born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, Wittman attended the University of Saskatchewan and got his start in the field of broadcasting as a news reporter with CFQC radio in Saskatoon in 1955.[2]

Career

Wittman began his long association with CBC Sports on January 1, 1961. He joined CBWT's supper-hour news program 24Hours in 1970 as sports anchor alternating with Bob Picken. He also worked on Winnipeg Jets television and radio broadcasts.

During the late 1970s–early 1980s, Wittman hosted Western Express, a half-hour weekly program broadcast in Western Canada which consisted of lottery ticket drawings for the lottery of the same name. The format of the series included Wittman co-hosting with media and community personalities from towns and cities across the region and conducting interviews in-between ticket drawings. (Western Express later changed its name to The Western and converted to a scratch-card lottery format).

As a sportscaster, Wittman covered many sports including athletics, baseball, basketball, golf, and was most known as a commentator and announcer for the CBC's CFL coverage, on Hockey Night in Canada, and for major Canadian and international curling tournaments.[2]

Famous events covered by Wittman include Donovan Bailey's 100m sprint world record at the 1996 Summer Olympics[2] and the infamous brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Death

On January 19, 2008, Wittman died as a result of cancer in a Winnipeg hospital surrounded by his family.[3] He was seventy-one years old, survived by his wife, Judy, two daughters, Karen and Kristen and a son, David.

Awards

Wittman won two ACTRA awards,[2] was named Broadcaster of the Year by Sports Media Canada in 2002,[4] and named to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2003.[5][6] He was inducted to the CBC Sports Hall of Fame in January 2008.[7] Wittman is an "Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

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References
  1. "Obituary: Donald Rae Wittman". Passages. 20 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  2. "Don Wittman - CBC Sports". CBC Personalities. CBC. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09.
  3. "CBC Sports' Don Wittman dies". CBC Sports. 2008-01-19.
  4. "Don Wittman, CBC Winnipeg – 2002 – Award for Outstanding Sports Broadcasting". Sports Media Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  5. "Inductees". Canadian Curling Hall of Fame. Canadian Curling Association. Archived from the original on 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  6. "CBC's Wittman to join curling hall of fame". CBC Sports. 2003-03-06. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  7. Sinclair, Gordon, Jr. (2007-12-15). "Sports icon Don Wittman faces the battle of his life". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2007-12-15.

Further listening
Preceded by
None		 CBC Television Lead Curling announcer
1961–1968		 Succeeded by
Don Chevrier
Preceded by
Don Chevrier		 CBC Television Lead Curling announcer
1983–2006		 Succeeded by
Bruce Rainnie
Preceded by
Bob Cole		 Stanley Cup Finals Canadian network television play-by-play announcer
1985-1986 (Wittman called games in Edmonton in 1985 and games Calgary in 1986 on CBC		 Succeeded by
Bob Cole
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