R.I.P.: Braves Broadcaster Pete Vann Wieren

Pete Van Wieren

Legendary Atlanta Braves broadcaster Pete Van Wieren died Saturday morning after a long battle with cancer, the team confirmed.

He was 69, according to al.com.

Van Wieren worked for the Braves from 1976-2008, alongside fellow legends of the booth Skip Caray and Ernie Johnson Sr., on both Superstation TBS and on radio. He also called games with current broadcasters Don Sutton and Joe Simpson through the Braves' glory years of the 1990s, and later with Skip's son, Chip Caray.

Nicknamed "The Professor," Van Wieren's encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and its history played well off the bombastic and irreverent Caray. The two worked together until Caray died Aug. 3, 2008.

Van Wieren retired following the 2008 season. Johnson retired in 1999 and died in 2011.

Van Wieren was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, but co-authored a book entitled "Of Mikes and Men: A Lifetime of Braves Baseball."