Clinton Grybas
Encyclopedia
Clinton Andrew Grybas was a leading Australian rules football
and sports radio and television commentator. His death at only 32 years of age was thought to be as a result of falling whilst sleepwalking
.
basketball
team as club journalist and gameday host before he gained a key role with the ABC
in Melbourne and then in Perth, where he called and presented the ABC's coverage of Australian Football League
matches. He anchored or commentated National Basketball League
(NBL) and National Soccer League
(NSL) games as well as Hopman Cup
, golf
, lawn bowls and racing events. His most memorable moment on air was calling the women's water polo
gold medal match at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which was won by Australia in the final seconds. He switched to commercial radio in 2001, where he joined Rex Hunt
at 3AW
to form the self-proclaimed "number one calling team" in the game. He continued to cover many different sports included the Australian Open
, boxing and both the Formula One
and MotoGP
Grand Prix events. He commentated at two Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games
. In 2005 he was named AFL's Radio Broadcaster of the Year.
When the Fox Footy Channel
began in 2000, Grybas became the new television channel's leading commentator and program host. He commentated games each week as well as hosting the nightly talkback show White Line Fever
and the weekly wrap-up show The Winners
. He continued to work for Fox Sports
after the dedicated football channel was axed at the end of 2006.
induced accident. An autopsy was completed but the results were not publicly released.
The response to his death was generally one of shock and many fellow commentators and players believed that he was amongst the best sports commentators in Australia.
His funeral service on 15 January 2008 at CityLife Church
in Wantirna South was open to the public and also broadcast on Foxtel. Over 1000 people attended, including his partner Laurenna Toulmin, parents Sandra and Vic Grybas, brother Ashley and many sporting and media personalities.
He grew up in Warrandyte
and was buried in Andersons Creek cemetery in that suburb.
On 25 March 2008 it was reported by 3AW
's Derryn Hinch
that Grybas had died of natural causes after suffering an allergic reaction to something he ate or drank the previous evening. His family, however, claim that the death was unascertained and that there has been no mention of an allergic reaction by the coroner.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
and sports radio and television commentator. His death at only 32 years of age was thought to be as a result of falling whilst sleepwalking
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness...
.
Career
His media career began at the South East Melbourne MagicSouth East Melbourne Magic
The South East Melbourne Magic were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. The team was the result of a merger of two Melbourne clubs for the 1992 season...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team as club journalist and gameday host before he gained a key role with the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
in Melbourne and then in Perth, where he called and presented the ABC's coverage of Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
matches. He anchored or commentated National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
(NBL) and National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
(NSL) games as well as Hopman Cup
Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, lawn bowls and racing events. His most memorable moment on air was calling the women's water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
gold medal match at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which was won by Australia in the final seconds. He switched to commercial radio in 2001, where he joined Rex Hunt
Rex Hunt
Rex James Hunt is an Australian television and radio personality, and a former Australian rules football player. He is an Australian rules football commentator, currently on the 1116 SEN radio station with son in law Lee Raynor conducting a program called Off The Hook. He is better known around...
at 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
to form the self-proclaimed "number one calling team" in the game. He continued to cover many different sports included the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, boxing and both the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
and MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
Grand Prix events. He commentated at two Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. In 2005 he was named AFL's Radio Broadcaster of the Year.
When the Fox Footy Channel
Fox Footy Channel
The Fox Footy Channel was a channel exclusively dedicated to Australian rules football. It was owned by Foxtel, and operated out of their Melbourne based studios. It was available on Foxtel, Austar, Optus Television, TransTV and Neighbourhood Cable up until transmission was ceased on 1 October 2006...
began in 2000, Grybas became the new television channel's leading commentator and program host. He commentated games each week as well as hosting the nightly talkback show White Line Fever
White Line Fever
White Line Fever was an Australian Football League-related television show, airing from 2000 to 2006 during the regular football season. It was based on a talkback radio format, airing live weeknightly at 7.30pm AEST on the Fox Footy Channel on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus pay television...
and the weekly wrap-up show The Winners
The Winners
The Winners is the name of two Australian television shows that show highlights of Australian rules football matches.The original version was broadcast during the late 1970s to late 1980s on the ABC on Sunday mornings. It was normally hosted by Drew Morphett with a panel consisting of former...
. He continued to work for Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
Fox Sports is an Australia group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
after the dedicated football channel was axed at the end of 2006.
Death
Grybas was found dead at his home on the morning of 5 January 2008, aged 32, after he failed to turn up at 3AW to present the midday sports radio show. Apartment staff found him lying face down on his bedroom floor and rushed to hospital, where he was formally pronounced dead. A preliminary news report theorized that Grybas died as a result of head injuries due to a sleepwalkingSleepwalking
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness...
induced accident. An autopsy was completed but the results were not publicly released.
The response to his death was generally one of shock and many fellow commentators and players believed that he was amongst the best sports commentators in Australia.
His funeral service on 15 January 2008 at CityLife Church
CityLife Church
CityLife Church, formerly known as Waverley Christian Fellowship, is a non-denominational megachurch in Melbourne, Australia. CityLife is a Pentecostal multi-site church with weekly meetings in Knox, Casey and Manningham in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Special services are also held in Mandarin and...
in Wantirna South was open to the public and also broadcast on Foxtel. Over 1000 people attended, including his partner Laurenna Toulmin, parents Sandra and Vic Grybas, brother Ashley and many sporting and media personalities.
He grew up in Warrandyte
Warrandyte, Victoria
Warrandyte is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham...
and was buried in Andersons Creek cemetery in that suburb.
On 25 March 2008 it was reported by 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
's Derryn Hinch
Derryn Hinch
Derryn Nigel Hinch is an Australian media personality best known for his work on Melbourne radio. He is currently the host of 3AW's drive time radio show...
that Grybas had died of natural causes after suffering an allergic reaction to something he ate or drank the previous evening. His family, however, claim that the death was unascertained and that there has been no mention of an allergic reaction by the coroner.