Gary Bender officially retired, April 13,2011, from Fox Sports Arizona after 18 years calling the NBA's Phoenix Suns games.
16 Facts About Gary Bender
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Gary Bender then attended Wichita State University, graduating with a journalism degree in 1962 and a master's degree from the University of Kansas in 1964.
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Gary Bender then began his broadcasting career calling games at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, and then went on to do the same at the University of Kansas' football and basketball programs in the 1960s.
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Gary Bender spent years as a broadcaster in Wisconsin and called all of the Wisconsin Athletic Association championship games, as well as Green Bay Packers radio and Milwaukee Brewers television in the early 1970s.
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Gary Bender did play-by-play for the NFL on CBS from 1975 to 1981, and again in 1986 and the 1981 NBA Finals along with color commentators Rick Barry and Bill Russell, both members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Gary Bender was CBS' first play-by-play announcer for the network's coverage of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, calling the Final Four alongside Billy Packer in 1982,1983 and 1984.
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On October 26,1987, Gary Bender called the Monday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings.
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Bill Russell 8.
In 1988, Gary Bender did play-by-play for the American League Championship Series alongside Baseball Hall of Famers Joe Morgan and Reggie Jackson.
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Gary Bender called NFL games for TNT from 1992 to 1994, teaming with Pat Haden.
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On December 17,2009, Gary Bender filled in for Marv Albert, who was battling throat problems, to call the Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers game on TNT and called the game with Reggie Miller.
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Gary Bender is co-author with Michael Johnson of the biography Call of the Game, in which he shares his life story, tips on how to become a better broadcaster, and his Christian testimony.
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Gary Bender did a series of Kendall Motor Oil commercials in mid-1980s.
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Gary Bender was replaced on a full-time basis by Focus vice president of broadcasting John Fuller.
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Gary Bender is an alumnus of the Kansas Delta chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Wichita State where he received his bachelor's degree.
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Gary Bender received his master's degree in radio and TV from the University of Kansas.
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Gary Bender's son, Trey, is a sportscaster and played Pop Warner Little Scholars.