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Dave Raymond
Dave Raymond
Dave Raymond
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Dave Raymond (born August 12, 1972) is an American sportscaster. He is the primary television play-by-play announcer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.[1] He has also worked for the San Francisco Giants (2003), Baltimore Orioles (2005), and Houston Astros (2006 to 2012).[2][3]

Key Information

Career

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Business reporter

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A former business reporter for Forbes magazine, Raymond was nominated for the prestigious 2001 Loeb Award for Outstanding Business Reporting.[4] His article about accounting irregularities at Microstrategy in early 2000 initiated the eventual stock market correction.[5] An article in The Washington Post cited his story as the impetus for the Internet bubble bursting. "This one popped the bubble," wrote James Cramer, columnist for TheStreet.com. "MicroStrategy forever changed the Internet mania."

Baseball announcer

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Raymond's experience includes minor league stops with the independent Brockton Rox (2005), Triple-A Iowa Cubs (2000–2004), Single-A Charleston RiverDogs (1999), and the independent Sonoma County Crushers (1995–1998). According to a story in the April 20, 2000, issue of Sports Illustrated, Raymond was traded from the minor league Charleston RiverDogs to the independent league St. Paul Saints for a "case of crab cakes and a pound of shrimp." A 2019 bio in The Athletic has a different version: "Raymond became the second baseball broadcaster in history to be traded. [Mike] Veeck’s young daughter Rebecca was going blind, so he traded Raymond and a case of crab cakes to the Saints for a wind machine and the announcing tandem of Jim Lucas and Don Wardlow, who was completely blind." Either way, Raymond took a job with the Iowa Cubs before he could report to his new club.[6][7]

Raymond worked as a fill-in announcer for the Giants in 2003 and the Orioles in 2005. He and Brett Dolan were hired by the Astros beginning in the 2006 season to work with Milo Hamilton.[2] Raymond was recommended for the Astros job by Jon Miller.[3] Miller, who broadcasts for the Giants and, formerly ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, said Raymond "is a radio guy. He understands the medium. He understands how to paint a picture of the game, and that's his first priority."[3] Raymond additionally co-hosted the J.D. and Dave's Excellent Offseason Adventure each week during the 2008/2009 off-season with former pitcher and broadcaster Jim Deshaies on 790 AM KBME in Houston.[8]

Raymond left the Astros after the 2012 season. He called games on MLB.com from 2013 to 2016.[9] He began calling Texas Rangers games on television and radio during the 2016 season as fill-in announcer. In 2017, he became the primary television play-by-play announcer.[9]

College sports announcer

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Raymond called four seasons of Stanford University women's basketball (1998–2001) as well as two seasons (1995–96) with Stanford women’s volleyball. He also spent parts of four years providing television and radio play-by-play for several Drake University football and men's basketball games as well as radio for women's basketball games (2002–2005).

After the 2011 baseball season, Raymond broadcast several sports on ESPN's newly launched Longhorn Network in Austin, Texas. He handled play-by-play for University of Texas men's and women's basketball games, as well as UT baseball (fall) and softball (fall/spring). Raymond teamed with Bruce Bowen on men's basketball broadcasts, and worked with Debbie Antonelli and Fran Harris during women's basketball games. For softball games, he partnered with Cat Osterman, Amanda Scarborough, or Megan Willis. His baseball partner was Greg Swindell in the fall.

Beginning in 2012, Raymond worked college basketball and football games for ESPN3, primarily covering SMU men's basketball with analyst Stephen Howard.

In 2022, Raymond called Stanford football games on KTCT.

Personal life

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A native of Gering, Nebraska,[10] Raymond served as Senior Class President at Stanford University while competing for the varsity track and field team.[4] He earned distinction as a Scholar Athlete.

Raymond met his wife, Tish, after college. They have three children.[7]

References

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Dave Raymond

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Dave Raymond (born 1955) is an American performer, mascot designer, trainer, and best known for originating and portraying the , the beloved mascot of Major League Baseball's Phillies, from 1978 to 1994. As a summer intern with the Phillies in 1978, Raymond was selected for the role after being fitted for the custom green, furry costume in New York, where he was instructed simply to "go have fun" while keeping interactions . During his 16-year tenure, he helped transform the Phanatic into one of sports' most iconic and entertaining mascots, contributing to three appearances and fostering fan unity at through improvised antics, dances, and non-verbal comedy that drew on his early life experiences, including his mother's deafness from age three. The son of , the legendary football coach who amassed 300 career wins, Dave Raymond grew up in a sports-oriented family in , which influenced his path into performance and entertainment. After retiring from the Phillies following the , he founded Raymond Entertainment in 1993, a company specializing in the design, construction, training, and maintenance of sports mascots and character costumes. Over three decades, the firm has created or rehabilitated hundreds of mascots for professional teams, including the Miami Heat's , the ' , and the ' Gapper, while offering services like the MASCOT DOCTOR™ repair program and Mascot Boot Camp training sessions that emphasize movement, spontaneity, and audience engagement. In his later career, Raymond has transitioned into motivational speaking, developing "The Power of Fun," a research-backed framework for engineering happiness through non-verbal communication and playful experiences, informed by his mascot background and personal challenges such as and depression. Dubbed the "Hero of Happiness" by national media, he delivers keynotes and workshops to corporations and events worldwide, influencing thousands on topics like building positive workplace cultures. His contributions to were recognized with induction into the Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2024.

Early life and education

Upbringing in Delaware

Dave Raymond was born c. 1955. The son of Harold "Tubby" Raymond, the legendary University of Delaware football coach, and Suzanne Heinemann Raymond, he grew up in a sports-oriented family in Newark, Delaware. His mother lost her hearing to Ménière's disease when Raymond was three years old, which influenced his development of non-verbal communication skills later in life. The family maintained close ties to the University of Delaware, where his father coached, fostering Raymond's early interest in sports and performance. During high school at Newark High School, Raymond played football as a punter, continuing his athletic involvement from a young age in Delaware's community sports environment.

University of Delaware years

Raymond attended the , where he earned a degree in 1979. He continued playing football for the university team as a kicker under his father's coaching staff. Raymond also joined the fraternity, engaging in campus life that blended athletics, social activities, and emerging interests in entertainment. As a college student, Raymond secured a summer with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978, which led to his selection as the inaugural performer for the team's new mascot, the . This experience marked the beginning of his career in , drawing on the communicative skills honed in his family environment.

Career

Phillie Phanatic

Raymond began his career with the Phillies as a summer intern in 1978, during which he was selected to originate and portray the team's new mascot, the . Fitted for the custom green, furry costume in New York, he debuted in April 1978 with instructions to "go have fun" while maintaining family-friendly interactions. Over his 16-year tenure through 1994, Raymond transformed the into one of sports' most iconic mascots through improvised antics, dances, and non-verbal comedy influenced by his mother's deafness. His performances fostered fan unity at and contributed to the team's appearances in 1980, 1983, and 1993. During this period, he earned $25 per game initially and helped popularize mascot culture in .

Raymond Entertainment

Following his retirement from the Phillies after the , Raymond founded Raymond Entertainment Group in 1993, a company specializing in the design, construction, training, and maintenance of sports and character costumes. Over three decades as of 2025, the firm has created or rehabilitated more than 175 for professional teams, colleges, and brands, including the Miami Heat's Burnie, the ' (2018), and the ' Gapper. Services include the MASCOT DOCTOR™ repair program for costume maintenance and Mascot Boot Camp training sessions that emphasize movement, spontaneity, and audience engagement. In 2005, Raymond co-founded the , a museum and children's center in , which opened in 2018 to honor mascot performers and educate on character branding; it has inducted figures like the .

Motivational speaking

In his later career, Raymond has focused on motivational speaking, developing "The Power of Fun," a framework based on research into non-verbal communication and playful experiences to engineer happiness, drawing from his mascot background and personal challenges including and depression. Dubbed the "Hero of Happiness" by national media, he delivers keynotes and workshops to corporations, events, and organizations worldwide, influencing thousands on topics such as building positive workplace cultures and resilience through fun. His contributions to and were recognized with induction into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2024.
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