Fred McLeod (sportscaster)


Fred D. McLeod III was an American sportscaster who served as the executive producer of multimedia, and television play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association.

Early life

McLeod was born on September 1, 1952 and grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville. During his sophomore year in high school, McLeod and his family moved to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area, where he finished high school and attended college, graduating from Point Park College where he was a pitcher on the baseball team, reaching the NAIA College World Series.

Broadcasting career

McLeod began his broadcasting career in 1974 as a sportscaster for KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri, and later moved to WSTV in Steubenville, Ohio.
In the late 1970s, he returned to Cleveland when he was hired by WJKW-TV 8 as a weekend sports presenter, and also providing play-by-play commentary for WJKW's coverage of Cleveland Indians' games during the 1979 season. McLeod later moved to KPIX-TV in San Francisco, where he was a sports presenter as well as play-by-play commentator for the Oakland Athletics.
In 1982, McLeod moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he became a sportscaster for WJBK and later with WDIV, and in 1984 became a television play-by-play announcer for the NBA's Detroit Pistons, a position he held until 2006.
From the 2006-07 to 2018-19 seasons, McLeod was the television play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside former Cavalier Austin Carr. On September 9, 2019, McLeod died suddenly at the age of 67.

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