TORONTO – Veteran sports broadcaster Brian Williams has been named to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement and service to the nation. A decorated broadcaster for more than 30 years, Williams began calling university basketball play-by-play in 1967 before starting his professional career in radio with Toronto’s CHUM AM (now TSN Radio 1050).
After a year at CFRB Radio in Toronto, Williams joined CBLT and remained with CBC where he became synonymous with broadcast coverage of the Olympics Games and other high-profile sporting events both in Canada and around the world. He moved to CTV/TSN in June 2006, and will lead Canada’s Olympic broadcast media consortium’s coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer.
“Through Olympic Games, Grey Cups and major international sporting events, Brian’s passion, expertise and storytelling have transcended sports”, said Bell Media president Kevin Crull, in a statement. “Going beyond traditional broadcasting, Brian’s voice over the years has ultimately helped to shape our national identity. As we saw in Vancouver 2010, there is no one better to lead us through our country’s milestone events and we are looking forward to having Brian helm our coverage in London this summer.”
