Gus Rooney

Who is Gus Rooney?

Augustine Joseph "Gus" Rooney was an American sportswriter, baseball umpire, football referee, and sports announcer.

Rooney was born in Boston on January 8, 1892. He attended Harvard College as a special student in 1919-1920. He worked as a sportswriter for the Boston Traveler for several decades. In mid-April 1926, He became the first man to call a Boston Red Sox game, where he announced the opening day game for WNAC. That season, he also announced some Boston Braves games as well.

He subsequently returned to his work as a sportswriter at the Traveler, retiring in 1938. In addition to sportswriting, his obituary notes that he was a publicist for Suffolk Downs when it opened. He died in Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, on December 21, 1978, at age 86.