Bill Worrell

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For the American musician, see Bill Worrell (musician).
Bill Worrell
Born (1944-06-02) June 2, 1944 (age 79)
Sportscaster
Known forAnnouncer for:
Houston Rockets (1980–2021)
Houston Astros (1985–2004)[1]

William Hamilton Worrell, Jr. (born June 2, 1944)

2020-21 NBA season. Worrell also served as a television broadcaster for Houston Astros
baseball for 20 seasons. Worrell has hosted and broadcast a wide variety of other major sporting events over his four decades in sports media.

Early life

Bill Worrell was born on June 2, 1944, in Houston, Texas. His father, William Hamilton "Dub" Worrell, was a team dentist for the Rice Owls, Houston Cougars, Houston Oilers, and the Houston Rockets, and he is credited with introducing the use of mouthpieces to professional athletes in Houston.[3][4]

Worrell grew up on Houston's west side and graduated from

Lamar High School. He matriculated at the University of Houston in 1964, where he originally hoped to follow his father into dentistry.[5] While he was at UH, he participated in a variety of extracurricular activities, including pitching for the intercollegiate baseball team
, which he did from 1964 to 1966.

Worrell ultimately chose to major in communications while in his sophomore year at the University of Houston. He had a talent for public speaking, and this became clear in his first on-air broadcasting job with UH campus radio station KUHF.[5] After graduation, he was hired by legendary Houston broadcaster Ray Miller as a news anchor for Houston NBC affiliate KPRC-TV. An avid, lifelong sports fan, Worrell eventually transitioned from hard news into full-time sports broadcasting. In 1974, he became KPRC’s sports director, a position he held until 1980.

Sportscasting career

Worrell left KPRC to take an on-air job with the new cable sports network

2020-21 NBA season, a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.[6]

Worrell has also broadcast a variety of other sports, most notably local television broadcasts of

Fox Sports Net for 20 seasons, from 1985 to 2004. Given his primary role with the Rockets, Worrell covered Astros home telecasts mostly during the NBA off season. In 2005, popular former player and longtime color analyst Larry Dierker rejoined the Astros television broadcast team, a move that effectively ended Worrell's stint as an Astros color analyst. Worrell's departure from Astros telecasts was an amicable one, as it allowed him to focus his efforts on covering Houston Rockets basketball.[7] Worrell has also broadcast various other sports, including Houston Oilers football, pro rodeo, table tennis, and major sporting events as varied as the Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl.[8]

Honors and awards

Worrell is a six-time recipient of “Best Sportscast” award given by

Lone Star Emmy Award for “Best play-by-play announcer in Texas” in 2011. In 2013, the Houston Press named Worrell the best play-by-play announcer in the city.[9]

The University of Houston honored Worrell as a distinguished alumnus in 2015 and inducted him into its athletics Hall of Honor in 2016.[10]

References

  1. ^ "The Men Behind The Mic". www.astrosdaily.com.
  2. ^ "We're giving you access to your history". www.ancestry.com.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "William Worrell's Obituary (2011) Houston Chronicle". Legacy.com.
  4. ^ Thompson, Mark. "Visitation, Memorial Set For W.H. "Dub" Worrell". Archived from the original on 2011-09-01.
  5. ^ a b "Rockets' announcer Bill Worrel reflects on memorable years at UH". archive.thedailycougar.com.
  6. ^ "'It's been so much fun': Bill Worrell signs off as Rockets' play-by-play man". 14 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Larry Dierker named Houston Astros full-time home game television analyst". www.mlb.com.
  8. ^ "MEET THE TALENT". Archived from the original on 2014-12-04.
  9. ^ "Best of Houston / Sports & Recreation / 2013". www.houstonpress.com.
  10. ^ "2016 Hall of Honor Class Announced". www.uhcougars.com.
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