Chicago’s ABC7 sports director/anchor Rose announces retirement

The following excerpt was sent out from abc7chicago.com:

CHICAGO (WLS) — Jim Rose, sports director and anchor of ABC7 Chicago’s 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts, announced his retirement on Monday, capping off a 41-year career at WLS.

Rose will anchor his final sportscast at 10 p.m. Sept. 15.

Rose joined ABC 7 in 1982. During his tenure, he has covered defining moments in Chicago sports including the Bears Super Bowl, six Bulls championships, three Blackhawks Stanley Cups, and White Sox and Cubs World Series championships.

“Jim has covered some of the biggest thrills in Chicago sports history with expertise and excitement,” said Jennifer Graves, vice president of news at ABC7. “Chicago sports fans will never forget when he got drenched in champagne, courtesy of Michael Jordan, as we will never forget Jim’s contributions to ABC 7 Chicago.”

In addition to being the go-to authority on sports, Rose has played a key role in both the station’s programming and charitable efforts.

For close to three decades, he has co-hosted the Bud Billiken Parade, one of the largest African American parades in the country.

He is a major contributor to ABC7’s “Our Chicago,” and has served as a host of ABC7’s coverage of the Chicago Auto Show.

He began his career in sports broadcasting while serving in the U.S. Army, acting as sports director for AFN-TV in Berlin, West Germany.

“When I started my career, it was ring announcer Michael Buffer’s famous line, ‘Let’s get ready to rumble.’ As I close out 50-plus years in broadcasting, I will quote ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, ‘It’s time.’ It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Chicagoland for over 41 years. I’ve had a ball!” Rose said.