The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Teacher; Administrator; Broadcaster; Public Address Announcer. Dan Baker is probably best known as the public address announcer of the Philadelphia Phillies, a position he has enjoyed since 1972.

He became the longest tenured PA announcer in Major League Baseball in 2008. The 2019 season marked Baker's 48th year in this role. Along the way he's announced over 3,800 Phillies games including five World Series (1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, & 2009), & two All-Star Games (1976 & 1996)!

Dan also served as the PA announcer for the Philadelphia Eagles for 29 years from 1985 through 2013. He announced three NFC Championship Games (2002, 2003, & 2004) & never missed a regular season or post-season game!

Since 2015, Dan has announced most Eagles home & away games at Xfinity Live, the huge entertainment center in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Dan also announces the Army-Navy football classic when it's played at Lincoln Financial Field. To date he's announced twelve of them.

He formed his own production company, Play-By-Play Sports, Inc., in 1976. This is a vehicle through which he produced primarily radio broadcasts & some telecasts for Philadelphia high school basketball, BIG 5 Basketball, Drexel Basketball, Temple Football, & Penn Football.

Dan served as a radio play-by-play voice for BIG 5 Basketball from 1977-1998, Drexel Basketball 1997-2012, Temple Football 1977-1983, & Penn Football 1986-1988.

As Executive Secretary, Dan helped maintain the Philadelphia BIG 5 Basketball tradition from 1981 through 1996. In 1997, he was inducted into the BIG 5 Basketball Hall of Fame. Dan has also been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame 2012, the Camden County (NJ) Sports Hall of Fame 2017, the Gloucester County (NJ) Sports Hall of Fame 2005, & the All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey 2015. In addition, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Glassboro State College/Rowan University 1979 & a member of Temple University's Gallery of Success 2013.

Dan taught 5th & 6th grade at the Landreth Elementary School, 23rd & Federal Sts. 1968-1978 & the Smith Elementary School 1978-1980 in the School District of Philadelphia.

He earned a bachelor's degree in junior high school education from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in 1968 & a master's degree in educational media from Temple University in 1972.

Dan & his wife Cathy, a 1969 graduate of Penn State University, were married in July of 1974. They have two children, son Darren a 2002 graduate of LaSalle University & a 2006 graduate of Wilmington University, & daughter Courtney a 2005 graduate of Boston College & a 2014 graduate of Drexel University.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com