Ray Christensen

For the American politician, see Ray A. Christensen.
Ray Christensen
Born(1924-05-06)May 6, 1924
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedFebruary 5, 2017(2017-02-05) (aged 92)
Rosemount, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota (1949)
OccupationSportscaster
Years active1946–2001
EmployerWCCO

Raymond P. "Ray" Christensen (May 6, 1924 – February 5, 2017) was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Golden Gophers sports teams from 1951 until 2001, working for WCCO in Minneapolis starting in 1963.[1][2]

Christensen was born in 1924 in Minneapolis and attended Roosevelt High School.[3] A 1949 graduate of the University of Minnesota, he also served with the United States Army in World War II. In 2002, he was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame.[4][5] Christensen also worked games for the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, and Minneapolis Lakers. In addition to his sports coverage, Christensen hosted a daily music appreciation segment on WCCO-AM titled "Musing on Music." Christensen would play a brief excerpt of a classical music piece and then report on its history and other musicology. He died on February 5, 2017, at the age of 92 from an upper respiratory infection in Rosemount, Minnesota, where he lived.[6]

  1. ^ GohpherHole.com (1946-05-01). "Where are they now?: Ray Christensen". Gopherhole.com. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  2. ^ startribune.com (2017-02-07). "Famed WCCO sports announcer Ray Christensen dies". startribune.com. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  3. ^ http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/180973/?fullname=ray-christensen Date information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding WorldCat Identities linked authority file (LAF). (LOC link [1])
  4. ^ "Ray Christensen". Pavekmuseum.org. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  5. ^ "Ray Christensen". Footballfoundation.org. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  6. ^ "'I don't think he had any ego.' Colleagues remember Christensen". StarTribune.com. 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2017-02-07.