May 1, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

Within a span of 72 hours this week, two voices on Mountain West Conference institutional airwaves fell silent.

On Monday, UNLV men's basketball radio analyst Glen "Gondo" Gondrezick died at the age of 53. The former UNLV men's basketball star, NBA player and longtime radio and TV announcer had undergone a heart transplant on Sept. 20, 2008.

Two days later, Colorado State football and men's basketball radio play-by-play announcer Rich Bircumshaw died of complications from a stroke he suffered Tuesday night. Bircumshaw was 54.

"The Mountain West Conference and its member institutions have heavy hearts this week," said Javan Hedlund, MWC Associate Commissioner for Communications. "The loss of our friends Gondo and Rich will be felt throughout the league. The passion they put into their profession and the enjoyment they provided fans will be missed. These two men were not only great broadcasters, but tremendous individuals. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both men."

Gondrezick, a graduate of Boulder (Colo.) High School, was one of Jerry Tarkanian's first recruits at UNLV and lettered from 1973-74 through the 1976-77 season. He went on to finish as the 16th-leading scorer in UNLV basketball history with 1,311 points and played a major role in the Runnin' Rebels advancing to their first NCAA Final Four in 1977.

A 1977 honorable mention All-American and 1987 inductee into the Rebel Athletics Hall of Fame, Gondrezick was a second-round NBA draft pick and spent six seasons in the pro league - two (1977-79) with the New York Knicks and four (1979-83) with the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 5.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game over his career.

Following his NBA career, Gondrezick played two years in Europe (1983-85), which culminated with a European championship and being named MVP. Gondrezick would later return to UNLV, spending the past 17 seasons as a radio and television analyst for his alma mater.

Gondrezick is survived by his three children: daughter Britt, and two sons, Kelan and Travis.

Bircumshaw, the director of news operations for Clear Channel of Northern Colorado, had served as a member of the Colorado State radio network since 1999, and had been the play-by-play voice of CSU football and men's basketball since 2002.

The Park City, Utah, native got his start in radio as a disc jockey in Salt Lake City before embarking on a broadcasting career as a high school announcer in Riverton, Wyo. He also worked as a color analyst with Weber State University and spent eight years announcing University of Wyoming sports with the Wyoming Radio Network, beginning in 1991. During a career that spanned more than three decades, he was named a Colorado and Wyoming broadcaster of the year on several occasions.

Bircumshaw is survived by his wife Wendy Lange, his sister Roberta King, brother John and sister in-law Georgia, nephew Christopher and nieces Jennifer and Angela, as well as numerous great nieces and nephews.