Cleveland sports broadcasting legend Bruce Drennan announces retirement

Cleveland broadcasting legend Bruce Drennan will retire at the end of the year, Bally Sports Great Lakes announced Monday afternoon.

Drennan hosted “Drennan Live,” once known as “All Bets Are Off” for 14 years. Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and a love of all sports, the occasionally gruff and always opinionated Drennan worked in broadcasting for 50 years.

With those qualities came controversy. He used that knowledge to his advantage, serving five months in a federal penitentiary in Morgantown, W. Va. for tax fraud in 2006.

He pleaded guilty for not paying between $12,500 and $30,000 in taxes on gambling proceeds. According to reports, he was placing bets with bookmakers five or six times a day.

In an interview with the Beacon Journal after his release, he expressed remorse for his actions.

An avid film fan, his return to what was then Sports Time Ohio proved successful enough to last these years. Prior to his legal troubles and television show, Drennan wore a number of hats in the Cleveland sports media, including serving as a TV commentator on Cleveland baseball broadcasts from 1980-82 with fellow legend Joe Tait. 

He also worked on assorted radio stations and finished his career in that area in 2004 when he was morning host for WKNR (850-AM). He is a member of the Ohio Radio/Television Hall of Fame.

Reach George M. Thomas at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com or on Twitter @ByGeorgeThomas.