He may have come from Lexington (Ohio), but Jeff Ruth is MarionMade! without a doubt. He’s been a fixture on local radio–WMRN–since moving here in 1979 as the station’s evening announcer, fresh out of Bowling Green State University with a degree in broadcast journalism.
As fate would have it, in 1983, the sports director left just before the start of football season and Jeff was asked to fill in for a couple of weeks until the station could find someone for the job. “I guess they are still looking,” he joked. In 2017, Jeff broadcast his 500th high school football game. Add in all the basketball, baseball, and softball games he’s covered, and his broadcast career encompasses close to 2,500 sporting events.
Active in the community, Jeff is a huge supporter of WMRN’s annual Peanut Push which benefits the Junior Service Guild.
“For $20 people can push a peanut across Center Street–with their nose,” said Jeff. But, the event doesn’t raise peanuts. In fact, in 2017, $45,000 was raised to help 400+ Marion families at Christmas.
Jeff is a member of Epworth Methodist Church, where he serves on the Missions Committee, as well as an usher, greeter, and liturgist. He serves on the Marion Harding Hall of Fame committee, the Marion County Local Emergency Management Team, and Fahey Bank’s Athlete of the Month committee; he is past president and Sight chairman of the Marion Evening Lions Club.
Jeff covers Ohio State football and basketball for Fox Sports–including every Ohio State bowl game since 2004 and two national championship games in both football and basketball. He has covered sports in 21 different states and was the broadcaster for the former Marion Mayhem and Marion Blue Racers.
In March of this year, he was named the Central Ohio Broadcaster of the Year by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, an award which recognizes the recipients’ sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity.
Jeff has been WMRN’s morning announcer since 1996, when Charlie Evers retired, and can be heard every morning touting the weather, Quickie Quiz, Tradio, and interviewing Marion’s notables on 1490AM.
#MarionMade #WeAreRadio
