Logo

Editor's Note: I started working as a stage manager with Bob Rathbun a couple of years ago, and he has quickly become one of my favorite announcers to work with. It took me a little while to get used to his style, but once I did it became nothing but enjoyable on the set the times we have worked together. This is his profile as published by the Atlanta Hawks. Last updated Jan 13, 2008.

Now entering his 12th season as the play-by-play television voice for the Hawks, Bob Rathbun will call games on the Hawks' FSN South/SportSouth package.

Rathbun earned his fifth Southeastern Regional Emmy from the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) earlier this year for his work on Atlanta Braves games. He was also the 1998 Georgia Sportscaster of the Year as voted on by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Rathbun has served as the college basketball play-by-play announcer for the ACC Television Network through Raycom/JP Sports since 1988. He also handled play-by-play duties on Braves games for FSN South and Turner South from 1997-2006.

With an extensive sports background, Rathbun's broadcasting career has earned him six Virginia Sportscaster of the Year honors (1980-82, 1985, 1988-89), a Distinguished Service Award from the ACC (1994), and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Catawba College (1988). He was inducted into his alma mater’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

He has also worked with most of the major sports broadcast properties (including the NCAA basketball tournament for CBS and the College World Series for ESPN) at one time or another, in addition to handling play-by-play duties for the Detroit Tigers (1992-94).

In August 2004, Rathbun was hired to spearhead the Atlanta Spirit Speaker's Bureau, where he works on increasing the profile of the Atlanta Spirit properties — Hawks, Thrashers and Philips Arena — through speaking engagements with civic, community, religious and other local groups.

Rathbun, who graduated with a bachelor of arts in speech from Catawba College (1976), and his wife Marybeth have two children, Courtland and Grace.