The Sedalia School District Foundation Alumni Committee is proud to announce Bill Brown as the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Brown is a 1965 graduate of Smith-Cotton High School. During his time at Smith-Cotton he was president of his junior and senior class, a member of the band, Latin Club, Publicity Staff, Student Council, Archives staff and National Honor Society. At 18 years of age Brown landed his first broadcasting job at KDRO radio station covering the news and doing play-by-play for local high school sporting events. In 1969 he graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. Brown served in the US Army as a sportscaster/broadcaster in the Armed Forces Vietnam Network in Saigon. After leaving the Army, he went to work at Cincinnati TV station WLWT. In 1976 he earned his first full-time major league broadcasting job as television play-by-play announcer for the World Champion Cincinnati Reds.

In February of 1987 Brown joined the Houston Astros, and for the next 30 seasons was their television broadcaster with play-by-play commentary. Inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2023, his biography on the Astros’ Hall of Fame website reads, “For 30 wonderful seasons, Bill Brown served as the primary television voice of the Houston Astros. In that span, he became one of the most popular and well-respected broadcasters in all of baseball. His professionalism and knowledge of the game, along with his powerful voice and relentless preparation, made him one of the top play-by-play men of his generation. Fans grew to appreciate his love and respect for the game and his in-depth knowl­edge of the Astros players as well as their opponent. Nobody was more prepared to broadcast a game than Bill Brown.”

As a 37-year Major League Baseball broadcaster, Brown has been recognized for his professionalism and expert knowledge multiple times over the course of his career. Honors include induction into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, induction into the Houston Astros Media Wall of Honor at Minute Maid Park in 2011 and voted Texas Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association in 2013. He was honored by the Houston Astros with a pregame ceremony recognizing 30 seasons with the team in 2016. Brown was inducted into the Smith-Cotton High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.

Brown has authored and co-written several books. “My Baseball Journey: A Sportscaster’s Story”, co-authored with Tim Gregg, documents Brown’s career and personal influences and has key memories of his family, Sedalia, Smith-Cotton, and his teachers. Additional books include “Baseball’s Bizarre Season”, “Houston Astros: Deep in the Heart”, “Breathing Orange Fire: Jose Altuve”, “Houston’s Team Houston’s Title”, “Houston Astros Golden Era”, “Sportscasting 101” and “Swinging for Glory.”

He is a member of the advisory board at Houston Sight into Sound and has been a volunteer reader for over 24 years. He and his wife Dianne Dugan Brown, who also graduated from Smith-Cotton in 1965, have been involved for over 10 years with the “Salute to our Heroes” scholarship fundraiser with the Cy-Fair Texas Educational Foundation. Bill and Dianne reside outside Houston and have one daughter and three grandchildren.