Ravens, Orioles Pay Tribute To Superfan Mo Gaba On His Birthday
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles paid tribute to superfan Mo Gaba on what would have been his 16th birthday.
Gaba, who endeared himself to sports fans across the region with his cheery calls into 105.7 the Fan and befriended members of both sports franchises, died on July 28, 2020 after his his fourth bout with cancer.
He began calling into sports talk radio shows in 2015 at the age 9 to share his love of the local sports teams with radio listeners. Despite his many struggles, including blindness and multiple battles with cancer, Gaba's positive attitude and love of sports were infectious.
"I'm always happy all the time and I laugh all the time and I make people laugh, too," he told WJZ.
He offered this message in his last conversation with the station: "If you want to be like me, just be yourself."
On Wednesday, the Ravens shared a tribute video dedicated to Gaba, featuring footage of him meeting coach John Harbaugh, players and mascot Poe, and announcing the selection of offensive guard Ben Powers in the 2019 NFL Draft. Gaba made history by becoming the first person to ever announce an NFL draft pick off of a braille card.
"Happy Birthday, Mo," the team tweeted. "We miss you."
The Orioles shared pictures of Gaba throwing out the first pitch and meeting the Oriole Bird.
Gaba was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in August 2021, becoming only the second recipient of The Wild Bill Hagy Award, "as one of the most passionate and devoted fans in franchise history," the team said at the time.
"Happy birthday to Orioles Hall of Famer Mo Gaba," the ballclub tweeted. "We love you. We miss you."
105.7 The Fan's Jeremy Conn, who formed a special relationship with Gaba, also tweeted a birthday message.
"He accomplished more in a short period of time than most of us will in our lifetime," Conn wrote. "He's the best human being I have ever met, you changed my life for the better. I miss you everyday and I will continue to push positivity and making everyday a win."
