What happened to Chris Roberts (Broadcaster)?

Chris Roberts, UCLA’s longtime football and men’s broadcaster who worked at the University for more than three decades, has been reported dead. He died at the age of 74 after suffering from complications of Parkinson’s disease. According to the University, he died on Friday, May 12, 2023.

He served as the play-by-play voice at Long Beach State for 10 years before moving to UCLA. He spent 23 years at UCLA’s play-by-play and worked alongside former quarterbacks David Norrie, Matt Stevens, and Wayne Cook.

Roberts called 16 bowl games, including the Bruins’ Rose Bowl appearances on January 1, 1994, and January 1, 1999. He also broadcast the men’s basketball team for 19 trips to the NCAA Tournament. That included the 1995 NCAA Tournament Championship.

He was an author who was credited for writing two books; Stadium Stories: UCLA Bruins and UCLA Football Vault, which he co-wrote with Bill Bennett.

Roberts began his career in broadcasting at KCIN in Victorville and spent time on the air at KREO in Indio and KWOW in Pomona, where he announced high school and junior college sports.