Career
He spent most of his career as a radio play-by-play announcer with KIRO (Department of Administration and Management). His most memorable call line was "Touchdown Seahawks!" Steve Raible, who served as color commentator with Pete Gross during much of his 17 years, continues to call that line as the Seahawks play-by-play announcer today. Before announcing for the Seahawks, Gross"s called football and basketball play-by-play for the University of Washington as well as for the University of the Pacific.
He was the play-by-play announcer on KIRO-television Seattle SuperSonics telecasts from 1976-1978.
The Seahawks inducted Gross into the Seahawks Ring of Honor in 1992. In his 17 seasons, Gross called almost every game, only missing five games in 1992 due to cancer.
In 1983, Gross and the Seahawks came within one game of the Super Bowl. Gross was born in 1936, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. and graduated from Tamalpais High School in 1954.
He attended University of Southern California and graduated from the University of Miami where he competed as a swimmer.
Married to Beverly Sue Peterson. The couple had three daughters. Gross began his career in sports broadcasting as high school play-by-play announcer in Watsonville, California.
Later, he worked as a Top 40 disc jockey at KSRO Santa Rosa, KXOA (as Tony King) Sacramento, and KJOY Stockton.
While in Sacramento, Gross also served as Director of Public Relations for the Sacramento Capitols of the Continental Football League while also doing football play-by-play for American River College. At K-JOY Gross was play-by-play broadcaster for the University of the Pacific football and basketball.
He later continued work sports broadcasting at KIRO 710 Radio in Seattle in 1973, covering University of Washington football and basketball play-by-play and radio and television broadcasting of the National Basketball Association SuperSonics. When the NFL expansion team, Seattle Seahawks began preseason play in 1976, Gross became the Seahawks play-by-play announcer for 17 years.
In addition, Gross covered Pac-10 basketball play-by-play broadcasts for Tata Consultancy Services/Metro and Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, color analysis for Philadelphia 76ers broadcasts and color for the Mutual radio network"s coverage of the National Basketball Association championships (1978).
Gross Broadcast 331 Seahawks" games as the Voice of the Seahawks, with his trademark call. "Touchdown, Seahawks!"
Gross died of cancer in 1992, aged 55, three days after his entry into the Seahawks Ring of Honor. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center created the Pete Gross House - a 69-unit housing complex that provides living space for families of patients undergoing treatment at the Center, in his memory.