William "Rip" Rowan (1935-2013)

Upstate New York lost a sports icon Tuesday when former sportscaster and baseball executive William "Rip" Rowan passed away at 78 after a brief illness in Florida.

For many of us who grew up in the 60's & 70's, and into the early 80's, Rowan was sports director for WTEN. A former semi-pro baseball player before turning to television, Rowan turned his passion for the game into a second career as an executive with the Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Eastern League, the independent Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, and the NY-Penn League's Tri-City Valleycats before retiring in 2009.

Rest in peace, "Ripper". You'll be missed.