Press & broadcasting / Sports
George Blaha
born 1945 · sports broadcaster
Detroit-born play-by-play voice of the Detroit Pistons since 1976, the longest-serving broadcaster in the team's history.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 81- Detroit years
- 1945–1950s, 1976–present
- Field
- Press & broadcasting, Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Blaha was born in Detroit, grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa, and moved to Grayling in northern Michigan at thirteen. Before the 1976–1977 season he succeeded Don Howe on WJR's Pistons radio broadcasts and called his first NBA game from Cobo Arena on October 23, 1976. He has followed the team ever since, through the Pontiac Silverdome, the Palace of Auburn Hills and Little Caesars Arena, on radio and later television. His calls of the "Bad Boys" championships of 1989 and 1990 and the 2004 title are part of Detroit sports memory, and his partners in the booth have included former Pistons such as Dave Bing, Vinnie Johnson, Kelly Tripucka and Greg Kelser. He has also been the longtime radio voice of Michigan State football. Blaha received the Detroit Sports Media Association's Ty Tyson Award in 2002 and was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Highlights
- Pistons play-by-play voice since the 1976–1977 season
- First NBA broadcast from Cobo Arena, October 23, 1976
- Called the Pistons' 1989, 1990 and 2004 championships
- Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, 2002
- Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, elected 2008
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1976–1978
Cobo Arena
Closed
Where he called his first Pistons game in 1976; the arena space was converted into halls and a ballroom in 2015.
Worked here · 2017–
Little Caesars Arena
The Pistons' downtown arena since 2017.