Jim Mueller, a beloved Cleveland sports media figure who served as the Voice of the Browns from 1975-1995, has passed away at 79 years old.
Jim Donovan, the current Browns play-by-play voice who initially worked with Mueller when he was a sports anchor at WKYC and succeeded him as the Voice of the Browns in 1999, announced news of his passing Sunday during the preseason game against the Eagles.
"My condolences, and all of our condolences, go out to Jim's family, his son Kyle, his daughter Paige," Donovan said on the air. "Great guy, and a guy that was in this stadium for a long time, and a lot of great games and a lot of great moments."
Mueller served as a voice for the Browns during some of their most successful eras in franchise history, including the years of the Kardiac Kids and Bernie Kosar era. He worked with other esteemed radio voices for the team in Gib Shanley, Nev Chandler and Doug Dieken.
Beyond football, Mueller had a keen interest in racing. He served as a public address announcer for NASCAR throughout his career and also called races on the radio for the Daytona 500.
In Cleveland, however, he was known for his enthusiasm and sharp voice for some of the greatest moments in Browns history, as well as a go-to resource for all things Cleveland sports. He held positions with Fox8 News and WKYC and called games for the Cavaliers and Indians throughout his career.
"He was a very, very important person in this city because this city was so starving for sports," Donovan said to CB.com. "They all really relied on the guys who were at the news stations, and Jim was certainly on top of that.
"He had a great voice, and people associated him with those Sunday afternoons down at Cleveland Municipal Stadium."
