Fred Davy
Fred Davy was born in Washington, DC and served in the Marine Corps during World War II. His broadcast career began in Pittsburgh as a sports announcer with the legendary Bob Prince, the voice of baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1954 he moved to Florida and began working at a local ad agency and as a part-time announcer for St. Petersburg’s WSUN AM-620. He eventually went full time with the radio station and also became a familiar face on various locally-produced shows with WSUN-TV Channel 38.
In 1955, TV management appointed Fred the new Capt. Mac when Burl McCarty, who portrayed the original TV character, left to join Tampa’s new WTVT Channel 13. Fortunately, the situation of two Capt. Macs in the same market resolved itself when McCarty returned to Channel 38 about six months later.
After five years at WSUN, Fred left in 1959 to host the morning show, Gulf Coast Serenade, on Tampa’s WFLA and became a booth announcer and sportscaster on WFLA-TV Channel 8. He was also a lifetime member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Fred retired in 1985 and continued to make his home in St. Petersburg. He was 86 at the time of his death February 17, 2008 from complications from a fall.
Station History
1954 - 1960 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (On Air Personality)
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