PORTLAND, Maine — Bruce Glasier, a longtime fixture in sports journalism in Maine, has died.
Mike Redding, news director at WCSH-Channel 6 in Portland, confirmed Glasier died of lung cancer late Wednesday night.
Glasier, a Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Famer, was 69 years old.
Glasier worked at WCSH for 35 years before his retirement in 2012. According to a report on WCSH’s website, Glasier started working at the station in 1977 and was a key cog in local sportscasts such as the Fifth Quarter, which showcases weekly high school football highlights.
Lee Goldberg, the current sports director at WCSH-6, worked with Glasier for 19 years and said Glasier was a “pioneer” when it came to putting high school sports on television.
“He was dedicated to local sports. He was funny, he was passionate,” said Goldberg. “I grew up watching him when I was in high school [Portland’s Deering High] and I told myself I wanted to be that guy someday. And he was a great teacher to me.”
Goldberg pointed out that Glasier had an impressive resume.
He did play-by-play for Maine Guides Triple-A baseball games and University of Maine football games. He also wrote for the Portland Press Herald and ran the Zamboni at the Portland Ice Arena.
Bill Green and Glasier had a half-hour television show called “Sports Overtime,” which was a call-in show, said Goldberg.
“That was even before the advent of sports talk radio,” he said.
He also said Glasier was the “father of the newsroom. He cared about everybody. He would take people in who had problems and would listen to them, give them a huge hug or tell them a joke. He was extremely well-liked.”
Green partnered with Glasier for 12 years at WCSH as the weekend sports anchor.
Green, the host of “Bill Green’s Maine,” said Glasier was an “in-the-moment” kind of guy.
“He was great to go to a game with or talk sports with. He was a really funny guy. He was like Don Rickles. Nobody made me double over with laughter like he did,” said Green. “And he knew everybody.”
Green pointed out that Glasier had a unique home run call when he was doing play-by-play.
“He would say, ‘Call the warden. This one is lost in the Maine woods,’” recalled Green.
Current WCSH sports reporter-anchor Jessica Gagne remembers watching Glasier when she was at Biddeford High School.
She pointed out that he had a Varsity Club that consisted of high school senior scholar athletes. He would profile one every week.
“It was a huge thing to be in the Varsity Club. He made those kids feel special. He profiled their lives, not just their athletic achievements,” said Gagne.
Gagne enjoyed his sense of humor and added that he was an inspiration to her in. He was one of the reasons she pursued the business.
“He left a legacy,” she said.
Glasier was also a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, New York Giants and also was a fan of the Maine Guides, along with University of Maine and University of Southern Maine athletics, according to the WCSH report.