Fans of Syracuse Athletics received some unfortunate news on Monday regarding former broadcaster Steve Hyder, who passed away over the weekend.
Providence Friars radio broadcaster John Rooke, a former colleague of Hyder first wrote about Hyder’s struggling health in his weekly column in The Providence Journal on Saturday, asking for prayers and positive thoughts for his friend. Later in the day, Rooke confirmed that Hyder had passed away at the age of 62.
“My dear friend & former broadcast partner Steve Hyder sadly passed away Saturday,” wrote Rooke on X. “Thoughts are with his family, with his partner Cathy, and with his close friends from Newport/Syracuse/Pawtucket who shared many a laugh with him through the years. A good one gone way too soon.”
My dear friend & former broadcast partner Steve Hyder sadly passed away Saturday. Thoughts are with his family, with his partner Cathy, and with his close friends from Newport/Syracuse/Pawtucket who shared many a laugh with him through the years.
A good one gone way too soon. https://t.co/SFNfZUw4Mr pic.twitter.com/WdjeiJKdRF— John Rooke 🎙️📻 (@JRbroadcaster) July 21, 2024
Hyder held a number of different hats throughout his broadcasting career, which included serving as the radio play-by-play voice of Syracuse Football and Basketball for much of the 1990s and the radio play-by-play voice of the then Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A of the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1990s.
From there, he went on to call games for the Pawtucket Red Sox, the longtime Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, where he would be named Sportscaster of the Year in Rhode Island six times.
His partner throughout much of his time in Pawtucket, Dan Hoard, posted a blog about his former colleague’s passing, offering his “deepest sympathies” to Hyder’s family while sharing some of his best moments alongside him.
“He had a razor-sharp wit, an incredible memory (especially for old TV shows), a big, booming voice, and an even bigger heart,” wrote Hoard. “I’m guessing that most of the people that knew him well consider Steve to be one of the most loyal and trustworthy friends they ever had. Not to mention one of the funniest people on the planet.
“My deepest sympathies are with his daughters Eva and Carly, his partner Cathy, and the many friends and family members who loved him. We will miss him tremendously.”
[John Rooke on X, Heard it from Hoard]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.