Tue 1/5/2010 Anaheim, CA
Updated 1/5/2009 7:40 PM PST
Angels Baseball Tuesday announced that veteran broadcaster Rory Markas passed away yesterday at his home in Palmdale, CA. No cause was apparent, so an autopsy will be conducted. Funeral service information is pending.
Markas, 54, spent eight seasons calling play-by-play with the Angels, both on television and radio.
In addition to his responsibilities with the Angels, Markas also served as the play-by-play voice for the University of Southern California men's basketball team, and as a reporter for FOX 11 KTTV in Los Angeles.
Prior to joining the Angels, Markas handled the play-by-play duties for the USC baseball team on the Trojan Radio Network, as well as pre-game reporting for Trojan football.
During that time, he also served as a sports reporter on KNX Newsradio 1070 in Los Angeles, and a sports anchor on FOX 11. From 1994-97, he was the lead announcer for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers on the Clippers radio network.
Markas had extensive baseball broadcasting experience prior to joining the Angels, as he worked as a play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers television network (1992-94) and as a substitute radio play-by-play announcer with the Brewers radio network from 1984-1994. He spent six seasons calling Pacific Coast League baseball, including three years with the Salt Lake City Gulls and three years with the Vancouver Canadians.
Markas' career included stints as an on-air sports talent for KCBS 2 (1990-97) and Prime Ticket (1987-90).
He was honored with several broadcasting awards, including four Golden Mike Awards for radio reporting, and two Associated Press Sportscasting Awards. He also received the 2008 Radio Play-by-Play Award from the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association.
A native of San Fernando Valley, CA, Markas attended Chatsworth High School. He later attended Los Angeles Valley College and Cal State Northridge.
Markas has had some health issues recently. On November 3, 2008 a blood clot was surgically removed from his brain after a bout of confusion and nausea while doing a television report on KTTV. He survived that operation and called the 2009 Angels baseball season without missing a beat.
He is survived by his mother, Billie and brothers, Gary and Troy.
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