Rathbun is a 1976 graduate of
Catawba College in
Salisbury, North Carolina and began his career as a sports director for
WSTP Radio in
Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1973. Rathbun served as the lead broadcaster for
ESPN covering
ArenaBowl '87, the inaugural championship game of the
Arena Football League, alongside
Lee Corso in 1987. He has also done broadcast work for both the
Washington Bullets and
Baltimore Orioles. His baseball experience includes
play-by-play gigs with
Tidewater Tides, and the
Richmond Braves. From 1992 to 1994, Rathbun worked as a radio broadcaster for the
Detroit Tigers. Rathbun and
Rick Rizzs replaced legendary Tigers' voice
Ernie Harwell and his partner Paul Carey after they were fired by the team’s then flagship station
WJR. Harwell's firing was extremely unpopular with Detroit fans, and Rizzs and Rathbun — along with then-team president
Bo Schembechler — bore the brunt of the fans' anger. After owner
Mike Ilitch took over the team in 1993, Harwell returned to the booth to call games with Rizzs and Rathbun. The tandem of Rizzs and Rathbun were fired at the end of
the strike-shortened 1994 season Rathbun served as the play-by-play announcer on
Atlanta Braves baseball games on
Fox Sports Net (formerly SportsSouth) from 1997 to 2006. He is currently the play-by-play announcer for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, and the WNBA
Atlanta Dream. He is currently partnered with
Dominique Wilkins, a nine-time NBA All-Star and player for the Hawks. In addition, Rathbun also serves as the play-by-play announcer for
Southeastern Conference football games on FSN South and
Atlantic Coast Conference college basketball and football games for
Raycom Sports. Prior to the Hawks' December 5, 2022 game against the
Oklahoma City Thunder, Rathbun had a medical emergency live on-air. Hawks' sideline reporter
Lauren Jbara filled in for him in the game.
Mike Morgan was hired to fill in for Rathbun for the next few Hawks games before he returned on December 19. == Recognition ==