Pete Medhurst is mourned as the ‘voice of Navy athletics’

Dave Johnson was a young radio broadcaster serving as sports director at WNAV in Annapolis when he met a recent high school graduate eager to get into the profession. Pete Medhurst enjoyed listening to Johnson’s reports, so he drove to the station’s headquarters on Admiral Drive.

“Pete just showed up at the station one day and said he wanted to help with the sports coverage,” Johnson recalled. “He was bound and determined to get into broadcasting and willing to do whatever it took.”

Johnson had ambitious plans for expanding coverage of both Navy and high schools. He had no idea whether Medhurst would be good on the air, but decided to give him a shot.

Medhurst did well on assignments, mostly reporting on high school games. When Johnson created a half hour Navy GameDay show prior to home football games, he had Medhurst do interviews.

“Pete reminded me of myself,” Johnson said. “He did not care how much he got paid or even if he did get paid. He just wanted to learn and gain experience.”

So began a successful radio broadcasting career for Medhurst, who died Monday at the age of 55 following a battle with brain cancer. The Churchton resident had achieved a lifelong dream by becoming the “Voice of Navy Athletics.”

Medhurst became a member of the Navy Radio Network in 1997, initially handling pregame, postgame and sideline duties for football. He served as play-by-play announcer for Navy men’s lacrosse and provided coverage of various other sports.

Medhurst was promoted to play-by-play announcer for Navy football in 2013. Somewhere over the past 12 years, he developed a signature call whenever the Midshipmen scored a touchdown at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium: “He’s at the 15, 10, 5 and into the checkerboard end zone. Touchdown Navy Midshipmen.”

Medhurst had worked 240 consecutive Navy football games from either the sideline or the booth before being diagnosed with cancer. He missed the Nov. 2 game at Rice, which was played the day after he underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor.

“We all have had a heavy heart over the past few months knowing Pete was battling such a significant challenge. He has been in all of our thoughts and prayers on a daily basis,” Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said. “No one could ever be more Navy family than Pete Medhurst, and losing him is devastating.”

Making his way up

Medhurst grew up in Lothian and was proud to have been raised in the Maryland Manor trailer park by his grandparents, Pete and Margaret Medhurst. He dreamed of becoming a sportscaster since childhood, turning down the sound while watching sports on television in order to do the play-by-play himself while talking into a tape recorder.

“I was just a kid with a tape recorder, a microphone and a dream,” Medhurst would often say later in life.

Medhurst left WNAV to take full-time broadcasting jobs, first in Pocomoke City, then in Salisbury where he covered Salisbury University football, basketball and lacrosse along with high school sports.

Medhurst returned to Anne Arundel County and worked briefly as a high school sports freelancer with Capital Gazette before hooking on with Navy athletics.

Johnson, who is currently the radio announcer for the Washington Wizards, watched with pride as his first protege made a name for himself.

“He had the same philosophy as I did: Say yes to opportunities then figure out afterward how to make it happen,” Johnson said. “Pete had a tremendous level of commitment and work ethic and was in broadcasting for all the right reasons. It was never about him, it was about telling the stories about the athletes and coaches he covered.”

Medhurst was always an independent contractor and hustled to make ends meet. He was track announcer at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington for nearly 30 years and occasionally performed the same duties at Ocean Downs in Berlin.

Medhurst was considered one of the country’s top harness racing track announcers and was recently honored by the Maryland Jockey Club for his three-hour, live trackside coverage of the 148th Preakness Stakes.

Along the way, Medhurst has filled a wide variety of roles within the DMV. Medhurst achieved a significant goal when he was chosen to co-host a daily show on the Team 980, a sports talk station based in D.C., with Chris Russell. Russell devoted the opening segment of Tuesday’s show to paying tribute to Medhurst.

“I don’t apologize for being emotional, for being devastated, for being heartbroken over the loss of our colleague, our friend, our co-host and a really good man overall,” Russell said through tears. “Pete Medhurst has left us, but his spirit will live on every day in this studio.”

Hitting the big-time

Medhurst reached the pinnacle of the profession when he filled in as play-by-play announcer for Washington Nationals radio broadcasts whenever David Jageler shifted to the television booth.

“I’m very excited and a little nervous. This is my first crack at the big-time and it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Medhurst told The Capital before making his debut. “I’m looking forward to showing the Nationals that their confidence in me is deserved.”

Another major breakthrough for Medhurst came this past season when he joined WBAL Radio as a part-time talk show host and member of the Ravens broadcast team as network halftime and postgame host.

Longtime WBAL NewsRadio reporter Scott Wykoff worked with Medhurst at both the Baltimore station and as part of the Navy Radio Network.

“Pete is the most talented play-by-play announcer I’ve been honored to work alongside, if not the best I’ve ever heard on the radio,” Wykoff said. “Pete was extremely versatile and could do it all on the radio.”

Medhurst also worked part-time for the Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks Department as an assistant sports supervisor for the past 14 years. He helped with scheduling and other clerical duties while often working events after being brought aboard by former recreation administrator Franklin Chaney.

John Spinnenweber, chief of athletics for Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks, said Medhurst was a “welcome addition” to the department.

“Franklin and I recognized that Pete would be a great resource because of his knowledge and wisdom about Anne Arundel County and recreation sports,” Spinnenweber said.

Somehow, Medhurst also found time to serve as a baseball umpire and basketball referee at both the high school and youth levels. None of those pursuits took precedence over Navy athletics.

Medhurst has broadcast a wide range of Navy varsity sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, baseball, volleyball and wrestling. He also broadcast the Brigade Boxing Championships for many years.

Medhurst was known as a road warrior, driving up and down the East Coast to broadcast Navy men’s basketball and lacrosse. It was not uncommon for Medhurst to call a Navy basketball game at Colgate then stop at Lehigh on the way back to do a lacrosse contest.

“For 24 years, Pete was the voice of Navy lacrosse, standing out in our sport for his unparalleled preparation, insightful commentary and consistent presentation,” Navy coach Joe Amplo said. “He had a unique ability to bring Navy lacrosse to life, captivating fans and leaving a lasting impact. Pete’s presence and passion for the game will be greatly missed.”

Medhurst was a 1987 graduate of Southern High, where he played football and baseball. He took great pride in helping fellow Southern alumnus Joe Miller get into radio broadcasting and was thrilled when the latter got promoted to color commentator for Navy football. They teamed up on Navy basketball and lacrosse broadcasts over the years.

“I’m crushed because I have lost a close friend and a great colleague, someone I admire and who has been a big part of my life,” Miller said. “When you try to break into this business you don’t know where to start and Pete was a guiding light for me.

“What I admired most about Pete was that nothing ever fazed him. He was calm under pressure and always had the ability to rise to the occasion.”

Mike Heary was a former Navy men’s basketball great who was hired by the athletic department to serve as a color commentator. He worked alongside Medhurst for the past 15 seasons.

“Pete and I spent a lot of winter nights together calling Navy basketball games and I’m going to really miss the camaraderie,” Heary said. “Pete’s dedication and love for Navy athletics was incredible and he understood how difficult it was to be a midshipman athlete at the Division I level. Pete got it in a way that was unique and special in terms of having an understanding and appreciation of what the Naval Academy was all about.”

Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at [e-mail], 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.