William Mercer

Personal Information

Birthplace: Muskogee, OK

Service Information

Branch of Service: Navy

Theater of Operation: Pacific

Enlisted / Commissioned: Sep 6, 1943

Military Honors: Four battle stars

Honored By: The Eisenhower Foundation

Biography

William “Bill” Mercer was born in Muskogee, OK. He served in the Navy from 1943-1946 aboard the USS Rixey and USS LCI (G)-439.(Landing Craft Boat Infantry – gunboat) Bill was a signal man. His ships participated in 5 invasions: Marshall Islands, Guam, Leyte, Luzon and Okinawa. After the war, Bill earned his Bachelors degree in broadcasting from the University of Denver in 1949 and his Masters degree from North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. Bill became a well-known sports broadcaster and is best known for his play-by-play radio baseball broadcasting for the Texas Rangers and later, the Chicago Whitesox. He also broadcast for the Dallas Cowboys, including the 1967 “Ice Bowl” at Green Bay, and the Cowboys 2nd Super Bowl in 1972. He also covered the John F Kennedy assignation. Mercer is a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Courtesy of sabr.org/bio and wikipedia.