Felo Ramírez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Rafael Ramírez Arias (1923-06-22)22 June 1923 |
| Died | 21 August 2017(2017-08-21) (aged 94) Miami, Florida, US |
| Occupation(s) | Baseballplay-by-play announcer, boxing analyst |
| Years active | 1945–2017 |
| Employer | Miami Marlins |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Member of the Caribbean | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2003 |
Rafael "Felo" Ramírez (22 June 1923 – 21 August 2017)[1] was a Cuban-AmericanSpanish language sports announcer, most notably for theMiami Marlins.
Born inBayamo, Cuba, Ramirez was also aboxing expert, having broadcast fights for Latin American radio and television audiences since 1949 along with other Spanish-language broadcasters such asBuck Canel and,Pancho Pepe Cróquer when theGillette Cavalcade of Sports, aired throughNBC Red Network, extended their Spanish programming activities to Latin American countries, where it was known as theCabalgata Deportiva Gillette.[2]
Ramirez called 40 Caribbean World Series.[3] 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.[4] He called many baseball moments in his career, includingDon Larsen's perfect game,Roberto Clemente's 3,000th Major League hit, andHank Aaron's 715th home run.[5]
As a Marlins broadcaster, Ramirez called both the 1997[6] and 2003 World Series.[7] He also called numerous boxing matches, including many involvingMuhammad Ali.[8]
During the mid-1980s, Ramirez and Puerto Rican sportscaster and boxing promoterIvonne Class co-hosted a weekly, Saturday nights boxing television show onTele-Once,[9] 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.
Ramírez was born inBayamo,Cuba, and was commonly known as"El Orgullo de Bayamo" ("The Pride of Bayamo") by many fans and colleagues.[10] A longtime resident ofPuerto Rico, he was inducted in the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame and has been honored by the local legislature.[10]
Ramirez was hospitalized after a fall in April 2017.[11] He died on August 21, 2017, at the age of 94.[12]
In 2001, Ramirez received theFord C. Frick Award from theNational Baseball Hall of Fame. His speech, delivered entirely in his native Spanish, was translated byJaime Jarrin.[5] In 2003, he was inducted into theCaribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2012, Ramirez received a recognition in Valencia, Venezuela. TheNavegantes del Magallanes 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.[13][14]