Broadcaster Warner Fusselle Dies
6/12/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Warner Fusselle, the long-time radio broadcaster for Seton Hall men's basketball passed away suddenly on Sunday. He was 68 years old.
A native of Gainesville, Georgia, Fusselle was a legendary figure in sports broadcasting, "The Fuse" as he was nicknamed, was highly respected by all he encountered and widely recognized by his charming Southern voice.
Fusselle was "the voice of the Pirates" for 12 years, from the 1991-92 season through the 2002-03 season. In that time, he announced four NCAA Tournament runs by the Pirates, including a trip to the Sweet-16 in 2000.
As recently as four weeks ago, Fusselle called the final three baseball games of the 2012 regular season between Seton Hall and St. John's in Queens. His preparation for the broadcasts on CBS College Sports Network brought him back to South Orange to scout the Seton Hall baseball team the prior two weekends.
"The Seton Hall Athletics family is saddened to hear of the sudden passing of one of the great voices and media personalities of our time," said Director of Athletics Patrick Lyons. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Warner will forever be remembered fondly as a part of Seton Hall's rich athletics history."
He is particularly remembered for his groundbreaking contribution to sports media, through the production of "This Week in Baseball", where he found his break and credits Mel Allen. Fusselle's announcing career includes; his start in Minor League Baseball with the Class-A South Atlantic League Spartanburg, SC Phillies, the Class-AAA International League Richmond Braves, the voice of the Virginia Squires in the American Basketball Association, and many credits with Major League Baseball.
Among the hundreds of voiceovers on national networks, most recently enjoyed his last years as the voice of the Brooklyn Cyclones, where he traveled and worked tirelessly since 2001. Warner Fusselle remained a stalwart of tradition in his career and still wrote all records and programming by hand, even in this age of computers, as he was approaching his 35th opening day on the diamond this year.
Fusselle, an army veteran, was successful in all his endeavors, even producing two baseball music albums, authoring "Baseball, A Laughing Matter", starring in the 1992 major film, "The Bad Lieutenant", and being a serious collector of sports memorabilia.
