Rafael "Felo" Ramírez (22 June 1923 – 21 August 2017) was a Cuban-American

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

sports announcer, most notably for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

. Born in Bayamo, Cuba, Ramirez was also a

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

expert, having broadcast fights for Latin American radio and television audiences since 1949 along with other Spanish-language broadcasters such as Buck Canel and, Pancho Pepe Cróquer when the '' Gillette Cavalcade of Sports'', aired through

NBC Red Network The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (also known as the NBC Red Network from 1927 to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in continuous operation from 1926 through 1999. Along with the NBC Blue Network, it wa ...

, extended their Spanish programming activities to Latin American countries, where it was known as the ''Cabalgata Deportiva Gillette''.

Career

Ramirez called 40 Caribbean World Series. He served as a broadcaster for nine years in his native Cuba, before leaving for Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. From 1993 until April 2017, he was the Spanish radio announcer for the Miami Marlins. He called many baseball moments in his career, including Don Larsen's perfect game,

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December ...

's 3,000th Major League hit, and

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Considered one ...

's 715th home run. As a Marlins broadcaster, Ramirez called both the 1997 and 2003 World Series. He also called numerous boxing matches, including many involving

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

. During the mid-1980s, Ramirez and Puerto Rican sportscaster and boxing promoter Ivonne Class co-hosted a weekly, Saturday nights boxing television show on Tele-Once, the returning television channel that had once been one of Puerto Rico's most seen TV stations, featuring live telecasts of Class-promoted bouts and also recorded fights of the past, like Muhammad Ali- Bob Foster.

Personal life

Ramírez was born in Bayamo,

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, and was commonly known as ''"El Orgullo de Bayamo"'' ("The Pride of Bayamo") by many fans and colleagues. A longtime resident of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, he was inducted in the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame and has been honored by the local legislature.

Death

Ramirez was hospitalized after a fall in April 2017. He died on August 21, 2017, at the age of 94.

Awards and honors

In 2001, Ramirez received the Ford C. Frick Award from the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

. His speech, delivered entirely in his native Spanish, was translated by Jaime Jarrin. In 2003, he was inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2012, Ramirez received a recognition in Valencia, Venezuela. The

Navegantes del Magallanes Navegantes del Magallanes B.B.C., commonly known as Navegantes del Magallanes (; ''Strait of Magellan, Magellan Navigators''), or simply Magallanes, are a professional baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), based in ...

organization honored his career of more than 60 years as a sports play by play announcer by inducting him into their team Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Felo Ramírez
Ford C. Frick Award biography at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

m(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Felo 1923 births 2017 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Major League Baseball broadcasters Miami Marlins announcers Ford C. Frick Award recipients Cuban emigrants to the United States People from Bayamo