35 Facts About Bill Schonely

Bill Schonely did his first play-by-play, calling military football and baseball games.

In 1951, Schonely was reassigned to Quantico, Virginia, where he worked on the weekly base newspaper and emceed military events and parades under the guidance of General Clifton B Cates.

Bill Schonely covered sports for the radio station, covering the minor league baseball team Baton Rouge Red Sticks and the LSU Tigers football and basketball teams as well as some rodeo events.

WAFB promoted a weekly wrestling match, and Bill Schonely became the ring announcer.

Bill Schonely filled in as a referee, which eventually led to participating in matches on a tag team.

Bill Schonely moved to Seattle in 1956 and joined KOMO radio and then moved over to KOMO-TV, where he worked with future ABC Sports broadcaster Keith Jackson.

Once again, Bill Schonely found work in professional wrestling, although he did not pursue it as a career.

In 1957, Bill Schonely suggested to Keith Allen, then player-coach for the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League, that their games be televised and that he should call them.

Bill Schonely enlisted friends including a funeral home director, optometrist and restaurateur to sponsor, and KOMO-TV broadcast Totems games on Sunday nights.

Bill Schonely called Totems games for 11 years on television and radio, and the team became popular in Seattle for a time.

Bill Schonely moved to KAYO radio in 1959, and the Totems came with him.

However, the station switched to a country and western format, and Bill Schonely left the station.

Bill Schonely worked as public relations director for Longacres Race Track before returning to broadcasting as sports director for KVI.

Bill Schonely brought the Totems to the station, called games for the Washington Huskies and baseball games for the Pacific Coast League Seattle Angels.

In 1967, Bill Schonely did West Coast National Hockey League coverage for CBS.

Bill Schonely called major league Seattle Pilots games for the one year they played before moving to Milwaukee.

In 1967, Bill Schonely nearly became the radio voice for the Seattle SuperSonics, newly created by NBA expansion.

Dick Vertlieb, the team's first general manager, offered the job to Bill Schonely, who was not an avid NBA fan then.

Bill Schonely accepted, but was pushed aside at the behest of Union Oil of California, a key sponsor who wanted Bob Blackburn, who was the Sonics' radio voice until the early 1990s.

Bill Schonely moved to Portland to start with the team on July 1,1970.

Bill Schonely was not as familiar with basketball as with other sports, and had to work hard to learn the game, attending every practice early on.

Bill Schonely called the play-by-play on 2,522 Blazers radio and television broadcasts, from Portland's very first preseason outing to the team's appearance in the 1998 NBA Playoffs.

In 2003, Bill Schonely returned to the team to appear in radio and television segments and act as a team ambassador at charity and community events.

In 2003, Bill Schonely was rehired by the Trail Blazers' new management, a move aimed at reconnecting with Blazers fans disenchanted by the previous management and players' off-court troubles.

Bill Schonely's role included hosting pre-game segments, "Memorable Moments" on television and "Blazers Flashback" on radio, plus appearances in advertisements and at community events.

On October 14,2009, at age 80, Bill Schonely returned to the microphone for the second half of a "throwback" exhibition game held at Portland's Memorial Coliseum, where the Blazers played from 1970 until 1995.

The occasion was billed as a one-quarter tribute, but radio announcer Brian Wheeler let Schonely call the remainder of the game.

In 2000, Bill Schonely signed a five-year deal to be the play-by-play announcer with the newest incarnation of the Portland Beavers Triple-A franchise, relocated from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Bill Schonely, who allowed that he was open to a future role with the Blazers, called games for the Beavers through the 2002 PCL season.

Bill Schonely is often compared to legendary announcers Chick Hearn and Johnny Most, of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, respectively.

Bill Schonely is the man who convinced people that sports are worthwhile.

In 1999, Bill Schonely was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for Broadcasting.

In 2012, Bill Schonely was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bill Schonely sang in his church choir, played golf and liked to listen to big-band music.

Bill Schonely died in Portland on January 21,2023, at the age of 93.