(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Atlantic University Sport – its staff, members, stakeholders and fans – are mourning the loss of broadcaster Bill McLean who passed away suddenly this past weekend at the age of 43.
The Dartmouth, N.S. resident, originally from Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B., was a familiar face and voice on the webcasting portal AUStv.ca as well as an on-air personality and play-by-play announcer for Bell Aliant’s FibreOP TV1.
Heavily involved in the local sport community for decades, McLean once served as an assistant coach for the Saint Mary’s Huskies women’s basketball team.
Prior to the development of AUStv, he collaborated with the conference office to bring the very first AUS championship webcasts to fruition on sportsstream.ca in 2011.
“Our webcasting piece is where it is today because of Bill,” said AUS executive director Phil Currie. “He was tenacious. ‘Inside the AUS’ was created by him.”
McLean served as sports director for TV1 and was the host of both Inside the AUS and the East Coast Sport Show, which air on the community channel.
Words of support from across the conference and the country have poured in since the news of his passing with fellow broadcasters, AUS student-athletes and alumni, coaches, athletic directors and sport fans alike mourning his loss.
“Bill was a part of our AUS family,” said Currie. “He knew as much about our sports and our student-athletes as anyone. He became, in a short time, an integral part of our team.”
A visitation will be held this Thursday, Nov. 12 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at Brenan’s Funeral Home in Saint John, N.B. A funeral service will follow Friday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at Grand Bay Baptist Church in Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B.
More information can be found at http://www.brenansfh.com/obituaries/102236.