George Blaha is an American broadcaster who is best known for his sporting career as a radio and television play-by-play voice for the Detroit Pistons since 1976. For Fox Sports Detroit, Blaha plays the lead play-by-play man. He also plays the same role of commenting for the Michigan State Spartans Football Team and has his method of broadcasting described as energetic, passionate, and knowledgeable. For his achievements in sports broadcasting, he has received accolades including Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting by the Detroit Sports broadcasters Association.
The broadcaster was born on March 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa, and Grayling. He obtained a Bachelors’s in economics from Notre Dame University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. His play-by-play career started in 1971, and in 1976, he became part of the Detroit Pistons as its broadcaster.
Unknown Facts About George Blaha
1. His father was proud of him and his two brothers before he died
George was brought up alongside two other brothers all of whom have accomplished a lot to make their father, Dr. Vernon B. Blaha to be proud of them before his death in 2011. George is respected as the longtime play-by-play broadcaster for the Detroit Pistons and Michigan State University Spartans while his other brother Dr. David Blaha is an Orthopedic Surgeon of global recognition and the third brother, Michael G. Myhera, is a global Oracle infrastructure architect.
2. He dreamt of becoming a broadcaster
As a young boy of about 8 to 10, Blaha started his dream of having a career as a sports commentator. However, he did not dream to work for Pistons even though he has been a fan for all his life. Probably because he was born in Detroit, Blaha found himself falling in love with Pistons even before he had the slightest clue he’d one day work with the team.
3. George Blaha loves American football
Aside from basketball, Blaha has a flair for other sporting activities, and American football is definitely one of them. In college, he was a Tiger fan and admires the Red Wings for their winning spirit. That being said, he is also a broadcaster with the Michigan State Spartans Football Team.
4. His life before his career with Detroit Pistons
When he graduated from college, Blaha did not immediately start his play-by-play job. In fact, he was a sports director, and the assistant news director at radio station WABJ, 1490 in Michigan before proceeding to WJIM AM and subsequently WVIC.
4. The veteran broadcaster thinks LeBron James and Micheal Jordan are the best
There have been many basketball players who have done remarkably well in the game. For Blaha, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, and Isaiah Thomas are the best of all time while Lebron James has taken center stage in the list of best players at this time.
6. Bahla is an inductee into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
In 2008, George Blaha was elected into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame before he was later inducted.
7. How much does he earn?
His salary has not been made public, but it is certain he has a good net worth that is above a million dollars as recorded by several sources.
8. Coronavirus put him away for two weeks
When Pistons became exposed to coronavirus earlier in 2020, the crew was made to quarantine for two weeks, including Blaha. He isolated himself at home for two weeks and after that, he was grateful for the little things he used to take for granted including driving. He was fortunate not to have shown any symptoms after 14 days.
See Also: These Athletes Have Donated Over A Million For Coronavirus
9. George Blaha is the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in Michigan
He has been serving as the voice of Detroit for over 4 decades and currently has the longest tenure as a play-by-play announcer in Michigan. In regards to that, he was honored in 2017 during the Piston’s “Best of Seven” series.
10. He is involved in charity
Blaha has appeared and contributed to different courses. He has been part of the High Hopes golf outing for the Vista Maria home for abused young women. In addition, he is part of St. Louis Centre for the developmentally disabled, Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society for abused animals in Detroit, Inkster Legends free youth basketball camp, and the Detroit Roadrunners youth basketball club.
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