Bob Rathbun
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Bob Rathbun (Born November 25, 1954 in Wakefield, Rhode Island) is one of the NBA's most recognizable and decorated play by play announcer, Professional Motivational Speaker and Author of Fast Forward Winner. He has been the announcer for the Atlanta Hawks basketball games on FSN South since 1996.
He is the play-by-play announcer for the NBA Atlanta Hawks, and the WNBA Atlanta Dream. He is commentator partnered currently with Dominique Wilkins, a nine-time NBA All-Star, and is widely viewed as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In addition, Rathbun also serves as the play-by-play announcer for Southeastern Conference football games on FSN South and Atlantic Coast Conference college basketball games for Raycom Sports.
Rathbun served as the play-by-play announcer on Atlanta Braves baseball games on Fox Sports Net (formerly SportsSouth) from 1997 to 2006.
Rathbun began his career as sports director for WSTP Radio in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1973.
He has previously done broadcast work for both the Washington Bullets and Baltimore Orioles. His baseball experience includes play-by-play gigs with Tidewater Tides, and the Richmond Braves.
From 1992 to 1994, Rathbun worked as a radio broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers. Rathbun and Rick Rizzs replaced legendary Tigers voice Ernie Harwell and his partner Paul Carey. Rathbun was very unpopular with Detroit fans. At the end of the 1994 season, Rizzs and Rathbun were fired.
After being named Virginia Sportscaster of the Year six separate times, he was awarded the same honor in Georgia in 1998. In 2008, he was named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.[1]
Rathbun is a 1976 graduate of Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina and was inducted in the schools Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1988.