Hall of Fame CFL broadcaster Ken Newans passes away during Calgary Grey Cup week

Photo courtesy: CTV

Legendary Calgary sports broadcaster Ken Newans passed away on Friday at the age of 95, his former employer, CTV News, has announced.

Affectionately known as ‘Noodles’ by his colleagues, Newans served as the Stampeders’ play-by-play voice for 12 seasons and later became the public announcer for games at McMahon Stadium. He was a key part of CTV National football broadcasts and covered 30 Grey Cups.

Newans was inducted into the media wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1991. He was also a recipient of the Peter Connellan Award for his support of the University of Calgary Dinos football program.

In a statement, the Calgary Stampeders said: “The Stampeders organization is saddened by the loss of Ken Newans, a former Calgary sportscasting great and the previous voice of the Stamps. We are thinking of the entire Newans family, along with the countless others he impacted, and will always be grateful for the lasting legacy he left behind.”

In addition to football, Newans was a feature reporter for CTV’s Wide World of Sports and covered seven Olympic Games. He was the only two-time recipient of the Fred Sgambati Award for his coverage of Canadian university sports, earned the Distinguished Service Award from the U of C athletic department, was enshrined in the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame, and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame as a multi-sport builder in 2011.

On Sunday, Calgary will play host to the 113th Grey Cup between the Edmonton Elks and Montreal Alouettes at McMahon Stadium.