Dave Niehaus

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Niehaus was born and raised in Princeton, Indiana. He graduated from Indiana University in 1957, entered the military, and began his broadcasting career with Armed Forces Radio. He became a partner of Dick Enberg on the broadcast team of the California Angels in 1969. Niehaus also broadcast for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and the UCLA Bruins football and basketball teams during this period. In 1977, Danny Kaye, part-owner of the Seattle Mariners expansion team, recruited Niehaus to become the franchise's radio voice. Despite working for a franchise which from its first year in 1977 until 1991 was without a winning season, Niehaus's talent gained recognition, and he was considered one of the few attractions for Mariners fans. Even in the period before the team's memorable 1995 season, the Mariners were regularly one of the leading major-league teams in terms of the percentage of radios in use. Niehaus became immensely popular in Seattle, twice being named Washington Sportscaster of the Year. The team chose him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the opening of its new ballpark, Safeco Field, on July 15, 1999. That same year, Niehaus was added to the Nintendo 64 game Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest as an announcer during gameplay. In 2000 he was the second person to be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame, and in 2008, he was named the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award. As of the end of the 2007 season, Niehaus had called 4,817 of the 4,899 games the Mariners had played since their inception. May 7, 2009, was Niehaus' 5,000th game as a Mariners broadcaster. Niehaus broadcast 5,284 of the 5,385 Mariners games which had taken place as of the end of the 2010 season, and had intended to broadcast the full 2011 season. Heart problems had forced Niehaus to undergo two angioplasties in 1996, causing him to stop smoking and change his diet. On November 10, 2010, he suffered a heart attack at his home in Bellevue, Washington while preparing to barbecue some ribs on his deck. He died that day at the age of 75.

In Their Own Story

The atmosphere shifted instantly on October 7, 1995, when Edgar Martinez broke a 6–6 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning. Niehaus erupted with his iconic call: "Get out the rye bread and the mustard this time, Grandma! It is a Grand Salami! And the Mariners lead it, 10-6! I don't believe it! My, oh, my!" This moment helped propel the team to their first American League Championship. He also coined nicknames like "A-Rod" for Alex Rodriguez and "The Kid" for Ken Griffey Jr., while Franklin Gutiérrez became known as "Death to Flying Things." His voice defined the Kingdome's famous calls, such as when Randy Johnson struck out a batter: "Right over the heart of the plate! Randy looks to the skies that is covered by the dome and bedlam! As the Mariners now erupt!

Reader's Guide

Niehaus is noted for using the following catchphrases on Mariner broadcasts: 'My, oh my!' – a variant of former Angels partner Enberg's 'Oh, my!', used for big, exciting plays. 'Swung on and belted!' – used on long fly balls that may go over the wall for a home run. 'It will fly away!' (sometimes 'Fly, fly away!') – used for home runs. 'Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time!' – used for a grand slam home run by a Mariners player. 'Get out the rye bread and the mustard this time, Grandma! It is a Grand Salami! And the Mariners lead it, 10-6! I don't believe it! My, oh, my!' – used when Edgar Martinez broke a 6–6 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning on October 7, 1995. 'The Mariners have erupted!' – used during scoring outbursts. Notable nicknames coined: 'A-Rod' – first to call Alex Rodriguez 'A-Rod'; 'Death to Flying Things' – first to call Franklin Gutiérrez by his nickname; 'The Kid' – Niehaus's name for Ken Griffey Jr.

Did You Know?

• Niehaus was the second person inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2000.
• He broadcast 5,284 of the 5,385 Mariners games as of the end of the 2010 season.
• A bronze statue of Niehaus was unveiled on September 16, 2011, at Safeco Field, with an empty seat next to it for fans to pose for photos.
• Seattle rapper Macklemore released a song called 'My Oh My' in tribute to Niehaus on December 22, 2010.