Don Earle

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Don Earle Clement, known as Don Earle (March 29, 1929 – December 12, 1993), was an American sports announcer for the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, he grew up in Dedham and served in the Coast Guard (1949–1951). He studied at Grahm Junior College and began broadcasting on radio stations in Brockton and Framingham, calling high school hockey. In 1967 he became the Boston Bruins’ TV announcer on WSBK, during a successful era that included the Bruins’ 1970 Stanley Cup win. He became a well-known but often criticized figure; Bruins fans booed him in 1971 when presenting Channel 38’s 7th Player Award, and he left WSBK at the end of that season. From 1971 to 1977 he was the Flyers’ second play-by-play announcer/analyst on WTAF with Gene Hart. After that he freelanced, calling games for the Colorado Rockies and the NASL. He returned to Massachusetts in 1981 and worked as a sports anchor for WGGB-TV in Springfield from 1982 to 1985. He spent his later years in Westfield, Massachusetts, and died on December 12, 1993.