Hall of Fame Sports Broadcaster, Television Personality, Major League Baseball Player. After a nine season career (at the catcher position) as a Major League Baseball Player (1946 to 1954), he began a lengthy period as a baseball broadcaster and earned the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Additionally, he was a familiar presence on such TV programs as "To Tell the Truth" (panelist later host) and "The Today Show" (co-host). Born Joseph Henry Garagiola, to Italian immigrants, he was a boyhood friend of Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra. He attended St. Mary's High School in St. Louis and was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals at the age of sixteen in 1942. After serving with the United States Army during World War II, he marked his Major League debut with the Cardinals on May 26, 1946 and went on to experience a world championship with St. Louis that year (1946). During the 1946 World Series, he produced six hits and a .316 batting average in five games. He retired as a player after spending nine seasons (1946 to 1954), as a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and New York Giants. From 1955 to 1962, he served as a broadcaster with the St. Louis Cardinals and had additional broadcasting stints with the New York Yankees (1965 to 1967), California Angels (1990) and Arizona Diamondbacks (1998 to 2012). Garagiola was known for serving as play-by-play man during the 1970s and 1980s on NBC TV Saturday afternoon ("Game of the Week") national baseball contests, often paired with Tony Kubek and later Bryant Gumbel. In addition, he called multiple World Series contests. During the 1970s, he served as a panelist on the TV game show "To Tell the Truth" and succeeded Garry Moore as host for a brief period. He served as co-host of "The Today Show" (1967 to 1973) and had a second stint during the early 1990s. During the 1970s, he hosted a documentary series called "The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola." His friendship with "Tonight Show" star Johnny Carson led to his regular guest host appearances on the program including one such time when John Lennon and Paul McCartney were on in 1968. In addition to baseball, he was a longtime voice of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. He was a spokesman against the use of chewing tobacco and stressed about the danger of mouth cancer. His son Joe Garagiola, Jr, has served as the general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.