Frank John Glieber (April 5, 1934 – May 1, 1985) was an American sportscaster whose voice became familiar to radio and television audiences across a range of professional and collegiate events. Over several decades he built a reputation as a reliable play-by-play announcer, working for major networks and regional franchises while covering many different sports. His career is remembered for its breadth and for the steady presence he provided during an era of expanding televised sports.

Broadcasting career and affiliations

Glieber worked extensively with CBS in both television and radio roles, and he also served as the announcer for professional teams in Dallas and Cleveland. Among his assignments were play-by-play duties for the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns, and the Texas Rangers. He was a regular voice for college athletics and national events, moving between local team coverage and national network telecasts.

Range of sports covered

Glieber’s schedule at CBS and in local markets included a wide variety of competitions. He called games and matches in these areas:

Style, reputation and contributions

Observers and colleagues described Glieber as a versatile announcer able to adapt to different sports and production formats. He worked in an era when broadcasters often covered multiple sports and balanced regional team loyalty with the impartiality expected on national telecasts. His work contributed to the growth of sports on television at a time when networks were expanding their live-event offerings.

Death and legacy

Frank Glieber died of a heart attack on May 1, 1985. His passing was noted by broadcasters and fans who remembered his long association with both local franchises and national broadcasts. While not as widely cited today as some contemporaries, historians of sports media regard his career as representative of mid-20th-century American sports broadcasting: adaptable, workmanlike, and central to bringing many kinds of competition into listeners’ and viewers’ homes.

For further reading on mid-century sports broadcasting and profiles of figures like Glieber, see general histories of network sports coverage and collections of broadcaster biographies. Additional archival footage and recordings may be found through network archives and regional sports history collections.