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.
Rathbun and Rick Rizzs replaced legendary Tigers' voice Ernie Harwell and his partner Paul Carey.
Rathbun served as the play-by-play announcer on Atlanta Braves baseball games on Fox Sports Net (formerly SportsSouth) from 1997 to 2006.
Prior to the Hawks' December 5, 2022 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rathbun had a medical emergency live on-air.
Rathbun was inducted in the Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1988.