Van Miller, former sportscaster for Buffalo CBS affiliate WIVB and voice of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills has died.
The Buffalo News says Miller started his broadcasting career at WFCB in Dunkirk, N.Y. in 1949. “He did wrestling, basketball, morning shows, farm shows, quiz shows, music shows and anything else required.” He retired from WIVB in 1998.
WIVB reports Miller used to say, “I was a young kid from Dunkirk who started out as a summer replacement announcer for a hundred bucks a week.”
Some of Van’s old Channel 4 family visited him a week before his passing. He was very frail.
News 4 anchor Jacquie Walker recalls, “He was not able to speak during the visit. You could tell that he really wanted to, but as we were leaving, we were at the door, he raised his hand. We all turned around and looked at him, and Van said one word: And that world was ‘Fandaemonium. That’s the last word I heard Van say, and I think it means he was really thinking of the fans.”
News 4 Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg had the honor conducting the last major television interview with Van Miller after Ralph Wilson’s death in March of 2014.
When asked to sum-up his career Van said, “Well that was a great ride, you know. I mean I felt like the luckiest man in the world.”