Seattle Mariners, City's Sports Community Honors Late Media Legend
The Seattle sports community was rocked on Sunday morning with the news that long time sports-media personality, broadcaster and station sports director Tony Ventrella died at the age of 80 on Saturday night.
According to an article from King-5 published on Sunday, Ventrella died at 7:30 p.m. PT on Saturday with several family members by his side. Ventrella suffered from cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
Ventrella was a mainstay in Seattle media for decades. He was the King-5 sports director for 12 years (1982-1994), worked on KIRO TV from 1994-2002 and was a digital media host for the city's NFL franchise the Seattle Seahawks from 2008-2016. He won three Emmy Awards in his decades-long career. Before he came to Seattle, he was the sports director for WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, Ind., from 1977-1981.
Beyond his work on television, Ventrella also frequently hosted and emcee several non-profit events according to the aforementioned King-5 article.
The Seattle Mariners' official account on "X" (formerly known as Twitter) shared a post on Sunday to honor the long-time director and anchor:
"We join the Seattle sports community in remembering local sportscasting legend and former Sports Director Tony Ventrella. His passion and dedication to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest will always be remembered. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."
We join the Seattle sports community in remembering local sportscasting legend and former @KING5Seattle Sports Director Tony Ventrella. His passion and dedication to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest will always be remembered. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. https://t.co/iBknmbGjNM
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 20, 2024
Current King-5 sports anchor Chris Egan commented on the passing of his friend and mentor in the King-5 article:
"Tony was loved by so many and he brought so much joy to each and every sportscast. I'm proud to say I grew up as a Tony Ventrella fan. In 1993 Tony took time out of his busy King 5 schedule to talk to me when I was a student at PLU about getting into sports broadcasting. He became a mentor and a role model, but more importantly, Tony Ventrella would become my friend."
Ventrella was survived by his three children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
