Utah sports radio broadcaster Steve Klauke has passed away at 69 following an auto-pedestrian accident. Klauke had recently retired after 29 seasons with the Salt Lake Bees. Beyond baseball, he was also the voice for Weber State football and men’s basketball.
The announcement from the Larry H. Miller Company, which owns the Bees and previously owned the Utah Jazz, with which Klauke also has a history.
Klauke called nearly 4,200 games throughout his career. His contributions to sports broadcasting were recognized with three Utah Sportscaster of the Year awards. The Salt Lake Bees are planning to honor Klauke’s legacy with plans to incorporate a commemorative patch on player uniforms and to observe a moment of silence at the next home game.
Larry H. Miller Company co-founder and owner Gail Miller commented, “Steve Klauke was a dedicated long-time employee and world-class broadcaster. Steve will forever be remembered as ‘the voice of the Bees’ and holds a special place in our hearts. We will always treasure and honor the immeasurable impact he had on the sports community in Utah and beyond.”
Bees Director of Communications Kraig Williams said, “Somebody told me today that they were really glad he had retired before this season because we really got to show him the love on his way out last year. And so I’m really glad that he got to feel the love from us and the fans at all. His fellow broadcasters and we’ll miss him.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox expressed his condolences on social media, saying, “This is awful news. Our hearts go out to Steve’s family. Today we lost one of the very best.”
