Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman dies at 89

Associated Press

San Diego Padres radio announcer Jerry Coleman holds back tears during a ceremony honoring his 70 years in baseball, 40 of them with the Padres, and to honor for his service in the Marine Corps, before the game between the Padres and the Colorado Rockies in San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012.

By Bernie Wilson, Associated Press

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014 | 4:35 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres say Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman, a former major league ballplayer whose pro career was interrupted by two wars, has died after a brief illness. He was 89.

Padres president Mike Dee says Coleman died at a hospital Sunday afternoon. He says the team was notified by Coleman's wife, Maggie.

Says Dee: "It's hard to put into words what Jerry meant to this franchise."

Coleman spent more than 70 years in pro baseball, a career that included four World Series titles with the New York Yankees and was interrupted by World War II and the Korean War, when he served as a Marine Corps pilot. He flew 120 missions combined in the two wars.