 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Rich Waltz" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Rich Waltz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1962-10-22)October 22, 1962 (age 62) Martinez, California, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Play-by-play announcer |
| Employer | CBS Sports |
Rich Waltz (born October 22, 1962) is an American televisionplay-by-play commentator currently calling college football, basketball forCBS Sports andCBS Sports Network. Waltz also calls MLB forMLB Network'sShowcase telecasts and Apple TV's Friday Night Baseball. The past two seasons he has filled in on TV for theArizona Diamondbacks and theLos Angeles Angels onBally Sports. Waltz also called the Phoenix Regional of the World Baseball Classic for MLB Network and MLB International. A three-time Emmy winner, Waltz is formerly known for calling television broadcasts for theMiami Marlins ofMajor League Baseball from 2005 to 2017. Waltz's dismissal by Fox Sports Florida and the Marlins was criticized by fans and media. Over the past few years, Waltz has called MLB forMLB Network andTurner Sports,[3][4] including the Cubs' Alec Mills no-hitter, the sixth MLB no-hitter he has announced. Waltz also called the 2020 AL Wild Card Series for TBS alongsideJimmy Rollins.
From 2012 to 2015, Waltz called games on Fox's Saturday Baseball package, and he has filled in onMLB Network'sThursday Night Baseball coverage. Waltz has called fourWorld Baseball Classics (WBC) for MLB Network; in 2013, 2017 and 2023 he partnered withBuck Martinez and called two rounds of the WBC in Japan and Arizona.
Waltz joined FSN Florida fromFSN Northwest. He has also called Major League Baseball games for Fox,ESPN,ESPN Radio, andFX nationally along with theSeattle Mariners andToronto Blue Jays broadcasts onCBC Television in Canada. Waltz'sno-hitters includeAníbal Sánchez's in September 2006,Roy Halladay's perfect game on May 29, 2010, andHenderson Alvarez's no-hitter against theDetroit Tigers on the final game of the2013 Major League Baseball season.
Since 2014 Rich's College Football and Basketball has been with CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network. His CBS analysts have included Adam Archuleta, Aaron Murray, and Aaron Taylor. From 1997 to 2002, Waltz called college football games for ESPN, ESPN Radio and ABC in theBig Ten,SEC andACC conferences. His football experience also includesNFL Europe for Fox,Pac-12 Football for FSN, and NFL preseason games for the Seattle Seahawks.
From 2010 to 2012, Waltz called games on ACC College Football Saturday and SEC Saturday Nights produced and distributed by Fox Sports Net and Raycom Sports. His college basketball work has included games in every major conference for Fox, ESPN, CBS, CBS Sports Network, and Raycom. In 2018 Waltz called the NBA Playoffs and the NCAA Tournament East Regional on TNT's VR platform.
Waltz's ESPN assignments included the Women's NCAA basketball tournament,Arena Football, NCAA College Softball World Series,Little League World Series Regional Finals, andMajor League Soccer. Waltz has also called both ATP and WTA events on Tennis Channel, including 2015 events from Dubai, Doha, and Buenos Aires.
In the 2019, NCAA Super Regional on ESPN, he called the 19-strikeout no-hitter by Vanderbilt'sKumar Rocker.
In 2006, Waltz helped create and organize the FSN Fantasy Auction, which in 12 years raised more than $1.2 million for the Marlins Community Foundation. In 2008, he was honored by the Marlins with their Community Service Award.[citation needed]
Waltz playedcollege baseball, first forLos Medanos College inPittsburg, California,[1] then at theUniversity of California, Davis. He was a startinginfielder for theAggies on twoconference championship teams.[2][5]