Sportscaster Jerry Coleman dies

On January 5, a day that saw the San Diego Chargers advance in the NFL playoffs with a 27-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati and the SDSU Aztec men’s basketball team notch its biggest regular-season win by defeating the 16th-ranked Kansas State Jayhawks 61-57 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, back home in San Diego, the wins were bittersweet, as the San Diego Padres announced the death of longtime broadcaster and local icon Jerry Coleman.

Team president Mike Dee announced via Coleman’s wife Maggie that the war hero (over 120 missions flown in WWII and the Korean War), World Series champ (four titles with the New York Yankees), and Hall of Fame Broadcaster — famous for his joyous “Oh, Doctor, you can hang a star on that baby!” — died after a brief illness in an area hospital. Coleman was 89.