Five of the Greatest Sports Radio Announcers of All TimeThere are sports moments that remain in the memory for years. They can be a winning goal in a World Cup final or a winning home run in a World Series. Fans of the sports can picture them in their minds many seasons after they have happened, thanks to various reasons. But one reason is the way the announcer described it.
Many of the top sports announcers began their careers in radio before moving to TV. There may not have been all the betting sportsbooks like BetNow back then, but their commentaries have stayed with the fans that heard them. We thought we would honor some of the best sports announcers who picked up a mic.
Vin Scully
Scully is best known for his 67 seasons calling games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is the longest relationship between any broadcaster and major league sports team. But, growing up near the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, Scully started off life as a huge New York Giants fan.
He began calling Dodgers games when the organization was still in Brooklyn but followed them out to Los Angeles and became one of the most well-known – and most well-loved – announcers of all time. Although he did commentate on other sports, he will always be the voice of Dodgers baseball to many.
Pat Summerall
A kicker for a number of professional football teams, Pat Summerall actually won an NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl days) with the Detroit Lions in 1952. But he is better known as one of the voices of sports broadcasting. He may be best remembered for his television work, but he was also loved on the radio too.
He actually announced on 16 Super Bowls in his time – more than anyone else ever. But he also contributed to 10 separate CBS Radio Super Bowl broadcasts as a host or analyst. He picked up many awards in his time but, since 2006, the Pat Summerall Award has been presented to individuals showing leadership and integrity in their field. A true sign of a great man.
Jack Buck
Buck began calling St Louis Cardinals games for KMOX in 1954 alongside another famous name on our list, Harry Caray. But he was the one that ultimately became known as the voice of the Cardinals – and ended up working with his son on St Louis baseball games.
He went on to call NFL games for ABC and NBC, but the Cardinals were always his true love. Even after retiring through ill health, he was a much-loved face around the stadium. Jack Buck died in 2002, but his son has often paid homage to his father by repeating his famous sign-off, “We’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Harry Caray
One of the most famous names in sports announcing, Harry Caray spent a career calling games for five Major League Baseball teams – the St Louis Cardinals, the St Louis Browns, the Oakland Athletics, the Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Cubs. But it was his time with the Cubs that is best remembered.
Although the Cubs have won the World Series since, Caray spent most of his time calling games when the team didn’t play well – and he was still loved. He used to sing a lot on the booth and is credited with popularizing the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch.
Foster Hewitt
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Foster Hewitt was a big sports fan and took an interest in radio at a very early age. After gaining employment at the Toronto Daily Star, where his father was a sports editor, he got in at the start of the organization’s sports radio output.
He made his first broadcast in 1923 and two years later made the first-ever broadcast of a horse race with his father. He had the vision to demand a broadcasting booth at Maple Leafs Garden in 1931 and became the voice of hockey in the country, hosting Hockey Night Canada. He even came out of retirement to announce Leaf’s games on radio until 1968.
