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part of the day to day operations here
at the Manatee County Sheriff’s ofce,
and he was a true professional.”
While Wells says Bristow was an
exceptional public relations expert, more
importantly he was an all-around good
person. “He was a super guy - a great
friend and family man,” Wells adds.
The Vibrant Voice of
the Hurricanes
Br i s tow gr a d u ated f r om t h e
University of Florida with a degree in
telecommunications. Before he was
hired by the sheriff’s department, he
worked as a television reporter for WWSB
(formerly channel 0, which is now ABC
7 Suncoast in Sarasota. Although he left
the television reporting world, Bristow’s
love for broadcasting never waned.
In fact, Bristow was well-known as the
voice of Manatee High School Hurricanes
football, serving as the team’s play-byplay
radio announcer since 1985. He
helped found “Hurricane Hotline,” the AM
radio show dedicated to Manatee High
School football, which was broadcast
from Joey D’s pizzeria in Bradenton.
Although Bristow didn’t attend the school
himself, his love for the Hurricanes came
from his wife, Lisa, a Manatee High
School graduate. In a total of 33 years,
Bristow only missed one Hurricanes
game. During his time as the football
team’s announcer, he also worked to
raise more than $2 million for Manatee
High School and its students.
Bristow, who enthusiastically described
each play, was renowned for drawing in
listeners and keeping fans on the edge of
their seats. Bradenton City Councilman
Gene Brown, who partnered with Bristow
for their radio broadcasts, told the
Bradenton Herald Dave was “almost like
a brother.”
Outside of announcing the Manatee
High football games together, Brown and
Bristow spent many hours traveling the
country as they coached their daughters’
softball games. Bristow served as head
coach, and Brown was his assistant.
The day after Bristow’s passing, Manatee
Football posted to Facebook: “It is with
great regret that we announce the passing
of longtime Hurricane Radio Announcer
and the ‘Voice of the Hurricanes,’ Dave
Bristow. His family is in our thoughts and
prayers. We will miss Dave dearly as he
was and is a huge part of the MAATEE
FOOTBALL program…In the words of
Dave ‘Till next time, so long everyone.’”