Dave Niehaus
For 34 seasons, his vivid, passionate voice was the soul of the Seattle Mariners, turning baseball games into Pacific Northwest theater.
1935–2010 (age 75)·American sportscaster·Birthday: February 19·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dave Niehaus didn't just call baseball games; he provided the emotional soundtrack for a city and a franchise. Hired for the Seattle Mariners' inaugural 1977 season, he became the constant through decades of often-difficult baseball, his voice a familiar, comforting presence in living rooms and cars across the region. Niehaus was a master of lyrical exuberance, coining phrases like "Fly away!" for home runs and "My oh my!" for moments of astonishment. He narrated the team's rise from obscurity to the thrilling playoff runs of 1995 and 2001, his calls becoming indelible parts of local lore. In 2008, his excellence was recognized with the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, a tribute to a broadcaster who did more than describe action—he built a community of listeners and gave a young team its enduring voice.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dave was born in 1935, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1935
#1 Movie
Mutiny on the Bounty
Best Picture
Mutiny on the Bounty
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1935Born
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1940Started school
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1948Became a teenager
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Could drive
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1953Could vote
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Turned 21
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1965Turned 30
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 40
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 50
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 60
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 70
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2010Died at 75
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead play-by-play voice for the Seattle Mariners from their first game in 1977 until his death in 2010.
- Received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.
- Called legendary moments like the Mariners' 1995 ALDS comeback and Edgar Martinez's 'The Double'.
- Was inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame and has a statue at T-Mobile Park.
Did You Know?
He began his broadcasting career calling games for the Armed Forces Radio network while serving in the U.S. Army.
Before Seattle, he was part of the California Angels broadcast team, working alongside Dick Enberg.
His famous home run call, "Fly away!", was inspired by his childhood memories of swallows flying around a church in Indiana.
“"My oh my!"”
