Gary Thorne

Gary Francis Thorne was born on June 9, 1948, in Bangor, Maine, USA. After graduating from the University of Maine in 1970 and later the University of Maine School of Law in 1973, he continued his legal education at Georgetown Law School, graduating in 1976. During this period, he supported his studies by working as a sportscaster and disc jockey. Parallel to his broadcasting work, he served as an assistant district attorney for Penobscot County and became a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar, demonstrating a dual career path in law and broadcasting in his early professional life.

Thorne’s broadcasting career began to gain prominence in 1977 when he started calling hockey games for local radio and television stations in Augusta, Maine, and later for the University of Maine’s hockey games on WABI radio. This eventually led to an opportunity to call NHL games, serving as the play-by-play voice for the New Jersey Devils from 1987 to 1993. His expertise expanded to include Major League Baseball, where he became a radio announcer for the New York Mets starting in 1985. His versatile career has seen him cover some of the most significant moments in sports, including multiple World Series and Stanley Cup Finals.

Over the decades, Thorne has been a consistent voice for major sports, working with prominent networks such as ESPN, ABC, and MASN. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles from 2007 to 2020. His work also extended to video games, lending his voice as a commentator for the NHL and MLB 2K series. Internationally, he has commentated for MLB International, bringing major baseball events to a global audience. His contributions to sports broadcasting were recognized with his induction into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.