William Anderson "Bill" Mercer (born February 13, 1926) is an American sportscaster, reporter, educator and author whose career in radio and television spans several decades. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Mercer built a reputation as a steady, descriptive play-by-play announcer across multiple sports and as a television reporter for a major Dallas station during a pivotal moment in U.S. history.

Broadcasting career and characteristics

Mercer is best known for his role as a play-by-play voice for baseball, football, basketball and professional wrestling. His announcing style emphasized clear description, calm delivery and attention to detail—qualities suited to both live sports and breaking news. Over roughly a 60-year career he worked at many levels of the baseball ladder and in other sports media, developing a recognizable presence on radio and television.

Teams and notable assignments

Mercer provided play-by-play for a number of minor- and major-league teams and organizations. Highlights include:

  • Muskogee Giants, Class C Western Association (early career)
  • Dallas Rangers, Triple-A baseball (1959–1964)
  • Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs, Texas League (1965–1971)
  • Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball), broadcast work beginning in 1972 alongside Don Drysdale and others
  • Chicago White Sox, period of work in 1974

Television reporting and wrestling announcing

As a television reporter for the Dallas station KRLD, Mercer was among the staff who covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963; that experience is one of the subjects of the book When the News Went Live, which he co-authored with fellow reporters. In the 1980s Mercer also became widely known to wrestling audiences as the play-by-play announcer for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), the Dallas-based promotion that gained an international following. From about 1982 to 1987 he was a leading voice on those wrestling telecasts, bringing mainstream broadcasting techniques to sports-entertainment presentation.

Writing, teaching and influence

Beyond live announcing, Mercer is an author and educator. He has written about his experiences in news and sports broadcasting and has been involved in mentoring and teaching younger broadcasters. His work illustrates the overlapping skills required for sports narration, live reporting and classroom instruction: precise language, timing, factual accuracy and an ability to convey events to listeners or students.

Legacy and honors

Mercer’s contributions to radio and television were recognized when he was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2002. After many years living in Richardson, Texas, he retired to Durham, North Carolina. His career touched multiple communities and media formats, and he remains an example of a local broadcaster who navigated minor leagues, major-league assignments and national television coverage. For more on the places and organizations associated with his life, see references to Richardson, Texas, the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox.

Mercer’s voice and reporting reflect a mid-20th-century American broadcasting tradition in which radio play-by-play and television news reporting were closely linked. His career demonstrates how one broadcaster could shape public experience of both sporting events and historic news moments through steady, descriptive narration.