Jim Brandstatter Biography
Born James Patrick Brandstatter, Jim is an American sports announcer. He is the radio play-by-play for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He held the position of colour commentator for the Detroit Lions for 31 years until the end of the 2017 season.
Jim is also a sports television show host and former radio show host. He hosted both TV and radio shows about Michigan football. He also played college football for the Wolverines, from 1969 to 1972, where he was a standout offensive tackle. Brandstatter has written two non-fiction books about UM experiences. Both books were best-sellers in the sports category. Jim has also been a two-time president of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. In 2018, July 10, it was announced that Brandstatter was leaving the Detroit Lions radio broadcast.
Jim Brandstatter Age
Brandstatter was born on June 19, 1950. He is 68 years old as of 2018.
Jim Brandstatter Family
Jim was born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan. He was born to his father Art Brandstatter, Sr who in 1936 was named an All-American fullback for the Spartans football team. His father later became a Detroit Police officer and Head of the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice. He was then named Head of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Jim was brought up together with his four brothers. Jim’s older brother, Art Brandstatter, Jr., played defensive end for the Spartans from 1959 to 1961. Despite the family’s legacy at MSU, Brandstatter chose to attend the school’s in-state rival the University of Michigan (the teams play annually for the Paul Bunyan Trophy). In an interview with Detroit Free Press in November 2007, Jim was asked about his early life and family and he responded: “My brother Art played at Michigan State, and he was my hero. … I went to all the games. I got to know all the players, the team. I was just a 10-year-old kid. That was great, but when I got into high school and was playing, Michigan recruited me and I fell in love with the place. … So I went against the grain, went to Michigan and never regretted it.”
Jim Brandstatter Wife |Jim Brandstatter Robbie Timmons
Brandstatter married his wife Robbie Timmons who was also a journalist in 1980. She is TV News Anchor and reporter for Detroit television stations, WJBK-TV and WXYZ-TV. Jim was the first female news anchor in American history to anchor the 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm broadcasts in March 1973 while anchoring the news at WILX-TV in Lansing, Michigan. The two met While working together at WILX-TV. There is no much information about the two and their children if they have any.
Jim Brandstatter Career
Sports career
Jim was an offensive tackle on the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1969 to 1972 during Coach Bo Schembechler’s first three seasons. He later noted one of his favourite memories as a player came in a 1971 victory against Michigan State. He recalled, “That was as good as it gets.” He added: “Bo Schembechler used to say and (offensive line coach) Jerry Hanlon might say, I may have played my best game ever as a collegian in that game.” Hanlon said about Brandstatter: “He got so fired up, he took over every defender that came his way.” He added “It was one of the best games a tackle played for me. That particular game, he was an All-American.”
In 1971 Jim made the All-Big Ten team and played in 2 Rose Bowls, during his time with Michigan in 1970 and 1972.
Broadcasting career
Brandstatter was hired as the sports director of WEYI-TV in the Flint / Tri-Cities area just after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1972. In 1975, he became the sports director at WILX-TV in the Lansing / Jackson area. After two-and-a-half years, Brandstatter moved to Detroit and became a sports producer for WDIV. In 1980, Jim became the host of Michigan Replay, while working at WDIV. It was a weekly half-hour discussion, interview, and highlights program about Michigan Wolverines football. It originally featured his former head coach Bo Schembechler until 1989 and later it included former head coaches Gary Moeller from 1990–1994, Lloyd Carr from 1995–2007. In 2008 the TV Show became “Inside Michigan Football with Coach Rich Rodriguez from 2008–2010), and Brady Hoke from 2011–2014. Inside Michigan Football continues with head coach Jim Harbaugh. After 30 years, Jim remains the original host. The show has grown from being seen only in Southeastern Michigan to available nationwide on cable and satellite.
Jim was a former host hosted a weekly college football radio show, called Brandy and Bo with Coach Bo Schembechler. Brandy and Bo talked with coaches previewing upcoming games and discussed issues facing collegiate football. Jim can be heard calling play-by-play of his alma mater’s football games on the Michigan Wolverines Football Radio Network. He teamed up with studio analyst Jon Jansen, colour analyst Dan Dierdorf and sideline reporter Doug Karsch. Jim became the colour analyst From the mid-1980s through the 2013 season on the Michigan radio broadcasts, while Frank Beckmann called play-by-play. From 1987 until July 2018, he analyzed National Football League games on the Detroit Lions Radio Network. He teamed up with play-by-play man Dan Miller and sideline reporter Tony Ortiz.
Brandstatter also hosts the syndicated weekly Inside Michigan Football TV Show highlighting players, game day highlights and comments by Coach Jim Harbaugh and other coaches and players, along with Doug Karsch and Ed Kengerski during the college football season. Brandstatter gives comments and observations about football on football-related radio program. The programs are heard on Detroit area radio stations as well as radio stations across the country. Aside from football, Jim has also broadcast golf on the Michigan Open Golf Championship radio and television network. He was an associate producer on the ‘Ameritech Showdown’, the Emmy Award-winning telecast of the state’s PGA Skins game tournament.