The WAB has announced the Hall of Fame Inductees for 2022

WYOMING — The Wyoming Association of Broadcasters has announced the Hall of Fame Inductees for 2022. Gene “Gabby” Barrus of Cody, WY and Tim Ray of Grand Junction, CO will be inducted into the WAB Hall of Fame on June 11, 2022, in Cody, WY.

Gene “Gabby” Barrus of Cody, started his play-by-play career for KODI AM in Cody in 1947 with the initial startup of KODI AM. He also became KODI’s sports director. One of Gene’s friends, WAB Hall of Famer, Curt Gowdy, once referred to him as “the voice of high school sports in Wyoming.” He covered sports for KODI AM most of his career, but also worked as a sports reporter for KPOW AM in Powell for two years. Barrus was awarded several broadcasting awards over his twenty-plus years in broadcasting. He was also a mentor to future sports broadcasters, taking time to critique their work and show them the ropes.   

After his retirement from broadcasting and Husky Oil, Barrus began specializing in wildlife and scenic photography as well as writing for outdoor publications.  More than 200 articles appeared in every major outdoor publication.  

Tim Ray started his Play-by-Play career in 1980 at KWYO AM in Sheridan. In 1984, he started the first sports program for sister station KROE AM, which also included play-by-play and “live” weekly community sports talk shows from a variety of businesses in Sheridan.

In 1987, Ray began his broadcasting responsibilities with KTWO Radio/Wyoming Radio Network where he did various radio and television assignments for the station and the University of Wyoming, which included sideline reporting, some play-by-play and studio broadcasting. He hosted a statewide radio talk show with WAB Hall of Famer, George Kay on KTWO radio for nine seasons, broadcasting from all over the country as they followed the Pokes.  Instituting several sports promotional campaigns during his broadcasting days in Wyoming, Tim played an integral part in the creation and development of the statewide Super-25 High School All-Star Football Team and the Peach Basket Classic in Casper.  Both annual events have grown in popularity over the years and are still running strong today. Tim was chosen by his contemporaries as the Wyoming Sportscaster of the Year in 1986, 1988 and 2003, which was presented by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in Salisbury, NC. 

Other highlights of his broadcast career include broadcasting for the Casper Minor League Baseball team, the Casper Rockies, weekday, and weekend sports anchor @ KCWY TV.  After his successful Wyoming broadcasting career, Tim worked in Athletic Administration as Natrona County School District Athletics Director and General Manager of the Casper Ghosts and Grand Junction Rockies of MiLB. 

The Wyoming Association of Broadcasters has inducted forty-one of Wyoming’s finest broadcasters since its inception in 2003.