Sports Broadcaster, Baseball Hall of Fame. Best known for his almost four decades of broadcasting Major League Baseball in Philadelphia, for both the Athletics and Phillies, he was awarded the Ford Frick Award in 1990 by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A graduate of Texas Christian University, he began his broadcast career there as a student, covering Southwest Conference games. He then became the voice of the minor league Minneapolis Millers in 1935 and also covered the University of Minnesota while there and became the sports director of WCCO before moving to Philadelphia in 1937, where his first job was announcing the Villanova-Temple football game. He was hired by WCAU in Philadelphia in 1938 as the A's broadcaster and then was to call both Phillies and A's home games from 1939 to 1949. As both teams in 1950 decided also to broadcast their road games, he relinquished his Phillies role and joined the A's full time, as he was a close friend of A's owner Connie Mack--which would prevent him from calling the Phillies World Series appearance in 1950. After the A's moved to Kansas City after the 1954 season, he returned to the Phillies broadcast booth in 1955. During his tenure he was paired with Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn (in 1963) and Harry Kalas (in 1972). He retired in 1975, just missing the Phillies first post-season appearance since 1950, though he was invited back to call the last half-inning of the division clinching game and the 1976 playoffs, the only time in his career he covered a pennant winner. He likely called more losses than any broadcaster in history, estimated at over 4000 losses, as both the A's and Phillies were rarely good. He did, however, call Jim Bunning's perfect game in 1964 as well as twelve other no-hitters. He also called other sports, including Penn, Villanova and Temple college football as well as NBA basketball (including Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game in 1962), the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and the Philadelphia Ramblers of the EHL. In 1993, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.
Sports Broadcaster, Baseball Hall of Fame. Best known for his almost four decades of broadcasting Major League Baseball in Philadelphia, for both the Athletics and Phillies, he was awarded the Ford Frick Award in 1990 by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A graduate of Texas Christian University, he began his broadcast career there as a student, covering Southwest Conference games. He then became the voice of the minor league Minneapolis Millers in 1935 and also covered the University of Minnesota while there and became the sports director of WCCO before moving to Philadelphia in 1937, where his first job was announcing the Villanova-Temple football game. He was hired by WCAU in Philadelphia in 1938 as the A's broadcaster and then was to call both Phillies and A's home games from 1939 to 1949. As both teams in 1950 decided also to broadcast their road games, he relinquished his Phillies role and joined the A's full time, as he was a close friend of A's owner Connie Mack--which would prevent him from calling the Phillies World Series appearance in 1950. After the A's moved to Kansas City after the 1954 season, he returned to the Phillies broadcast booth in 1955. During his tenure he was paired with Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn (in 1963) and Harry Kalas (in 1972). He retired in 1975, just missing the Phillies first post-season appearance since 1950, though he was invited back to call the last half-inning of the division clinching game and the 1976 playoffs, the only time in his career he covered a pennant winner. He likely called more losses than any broadcaster in history, estimated at over 4000 losses, as both the A's and Phillies were rarely good. He did, however, call Jim Bunning's perfect game in 1964 as well as twelve other no-hitters. He also called other sports, including Penn, Villanova and Temple college football as well as NBA basketball (including Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game in 1962), the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and the Philadelphia Ramblers of the EHL. In 1993, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.
Bio by: Kenneth Gilbert
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