Jack Brickhouse
Encyclopedia
John Beasley "Jack" Brickhouse (January 24, 1916 – August 6, 1998) was an American
sportscaster
. Known primarily for his play-by-play coverage of Chicago Cubs
games on WGN-TV
from 1948 to 1981, he received the Ford C. Frick Award
from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1985, Brickhouse was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association
Hall of Fame along with the Voice of the Yankees Mel Allen
and Red Sox Voice Curt Gowdy
. Brickhouse also served as the organization’s Secretary/Treasurer and was a member of its Board of Directors.
Brickhouse also called Chicago White Sox
games prior to that team leaving WGN in 1968. He also covered national events from time to time, including three World Series
for NBC television, although the Cubs never got there during his tenure. The voice on the audio track of the famous Willie Mays
catch in Game 1 of the 1954 Series
at the Polo Grounds
belongs to Brickhouse, who was calling the Series along with the New York Giants
' regular broadcaster, Russ Hodges
. (Brickhouse himself had called Giants games locally in 1946.) Brickhouse also called the 1959 Series
, which featured the White Sox with Los Angeles Dodgers
announcer Vin Scully
, and the 1950 Series
with Jim Britt
. In addition, Brickhouse partnered with fellow baseball broadcasting legend Mel Allen
for NBC's coverage of the 1952 Rose Bowl
, and with Chris Schenkel
for the network's coverage of two NFL Championship Games (1956
and 1963).
Brickhouse also covered many other events, sports and otherwise (such as professional wrestling
for WGN and political conventions for the Mutual
radio network). And for many years he called Chicago Bears
football on WGN-AM radio, in an unlikely and entertaining pairing with the famous Chicago Sun-Times
gossip columnist Irv Kupcinet
. Brickhouse was also a boxing
commentator. Fights he called include the 1949 fight between Jersey Joe Walcott
and Ezzard Charles
and the 1951 fight between Johnny Bratton
and Charley Fusari
. He did Chicago Bulls
basketball games for WGN-TV from 1966 until 1973 as well.
to Will and Daisy Brickhouse. His father died when Jack was just two years old, and the younger Brickhouse was largely raised by his mother. Brickhouse's first job was delivering the Peoria Journal
and Peoria Star
, a job he started at age 11. Brickhouse attended Peoria Manual High School
.
Brickhouse began his broadcasting at the age of 18 at Peoria radio station WMBD
in 1934. Chicago radio station WGN
hired him in 1940 to broadcast Cubs and White Sox games, largely on the recommendation of their top announcer, Bob Elson
. He was also the very first face shown when WGN-TV
, Chicago's Channel 9, began broadcasting in 1948. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, and thus missed the 1945 season, the only time during his long tenure that the Cubs would win the National League pennant. His only pennant as a broadcaster would be the one won by the White Sox in 1959.
Brickhouse broadcast both Cubs and White Sox games until 1967—something he was able to do because they almost never played at home on the same day. He retired in 1981.
, a radio broadcaster by training, tended to describe the game on TV as if he were doing a radio broadcast. Brickhouse was sparer with his descriptive prose; perhaps not as spare as Vin Scully
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
, but talking in quick bursts rather than long sentences, knowing that the well-established camera work of WGN-TV
and of producer Arne Harris
would tell much of the story.
Instead of over-describing the action, "Brick" was more likely to add "flavor" to what was obviously happening, with almost child-like enthusiasm. He would pepper his play-by-play with various old-fashioned expressions, such as "Whew, boy!" after a close play that went the home team's way, or "Oh, brother!" when it went the other way, or "Wheeeee!" when the team would do something well. During games at Wrigley Field, if the score was tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning, Brickhouse would retort, "Any old kind of a run wins it for the Cubs."
He was best known for the expression "Hey-hey", which he reportedly used everywhere... when the baseball team hit a homer, when the football team scored a touchdown, or even when he was taking tricks in a card game. But it was that home run call that stuck in fans' memories, and that phrase now vertically adorns the screens on the foul poles at Wrigley Field
.
Chicago columnist and lifelong Cubs fan Mike Royko
's annual Cubs quiz, April 11, 1968, included the following question:
(One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko, University of Chicago, 1999, p. 29-31)
Some examples of Brick's calls:
September 22, 1959; White Sox at Cleveland in the 9th inning of what would be the A.L. championship pennant-clinching game.
"(Carrol) Hardy on second, (Jimmy) Piersall on first, and 'dangerous' Vic Power
is up ... one out. Power ... is 1 for 4, an infield single ... there's a ground ball ... (Luis) Aparicio has it ... steps on second, throws to first ... THE BALL GAME'S OVER! THE WHITE SOX ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF 1959! A FORTY YEAR ... WAIT HAS NOW ENDED!"
May 15, 1960; pitcher Don Cardwell
, in his Cubs debut, is trying to get the last out of a no-hitter
, against the St. Louis Cardinals
; the batter is Joe Cunningham
; the left fielder is Walt "Moose" Moryn
...
December 15, 1963; Bears defensive back Dave Whitsell makes a key play that wins the game over Detroit
, and clinches the Western Conference for the Bears...
May 12, 1970; Atlanta's
Pat Jarvis pitches to "Mr. Cub", Ernie Banks
...
. He was interred at the Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
. Known primarily for his play-by-play coverage of Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
games on WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
from 1948 to 1981, he received the Ford C. Frick Award
Ford C. Frick Award
The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball." It is named for Ford Christopher Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball...
from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1985, Brickhouse was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association
American Sportscasters Association
American Sportscasters Association was founded in 1979 by broadcaster Dick London and associate attorney Harold Foner as a non profit association to represent sportscasters by promoting and supporting the needs and interests of the professional sports broadcaster.-History:In 1980, Louis O...
Hall of Fame along with the Voice of the Yankees Mel Allen
Mel Allen
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions...
and Red Sox Voice Curt Gowdy
Curt Gowdy
Curtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
. Brickhouse also served as the organization’s Secretary/Treasurer and was a member of its Board of Directors.
Brickhouse also called Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
games prior to that team leaving WGN in 1968. He also covered national events from time to time, including three World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
for NBC television, although the Cubs never got there during his tenure. The voice on the audio track of the famous Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
catch in Game 1 of the 1954 Series
1954 World Series
The 1954 World Series matched the National League champion New York Giants against the American League champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since , defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the...
at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
belongs to Brickhouse, who was calling the Series along with the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
' regular broadcaster, Russ Hodges
Russ Hodges
Russell Patrick Hodges was an American broadcaster who did play-by-play for several baseball teams, most notably the New York and San Francisco Giants.-Early career:...
. (Brickhouse himself had called Giants games locally in 1946.) Brickhouse also called the 1959 Series
1959 World Series
The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...
, which featured the White Sox with Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
announcer Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
, and the 1950 Series
1950 World Series
The 1950 World Series was the 47th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as 1950 champions of the National League and the New York Yankees, as 1950 American League champions, competed to win a best-of-seven...
with Jim Britt
Jim Britt
Jim Britt was an American sportscaster who broadcast Major League Baseball games in Boston, Massachusetts, and Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1940s and 1950s...
. In addition, Brickhouse partnered with fellow baseball broadcasting legend Mel Allen
Mel Allen
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions...
for NBC's coverage of the 1952 Rose Bowl
1952 Rose Bowl
The 1952 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1952 at the end of the 1951 college football season. It was the 38th Rose Bowl Game. It holds the distinction of being the first nationally televised college football game...
, and with Chris Schenkel
Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene "Chris" Schenkel was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.-Early life and career:Schenkel began his broadcasting career at radio...
for the network's coverage of two NFL Championship Games (1956
NFL Championship Game, 1956
In the 1956 National Football League Championship Game played at Yankee Stadium in New York City on 30 December 1956, the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 47-7. It was the 24th annual NFL championship game....
and 1963).
Brickhouse also covered many other events, sports and otherwise (such as professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
for WGN and political conventions for the Mutual
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
radio network). And for many years he called Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
football on WGN-AM radio, in an unlikely and entertaining pairing with the famous Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gossip columnist Irv Kupcinet
Irv Kupcinet
Irv Kupcinet was an American newspaper columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a broadcast personality based in Chicago, Illinois...
. Brickhouse was also a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
commentator. Fights he called include the 1949 fight between Jersey Joe Walcott
Jersey Joe Walcott
Arnold Raymond Cream , better known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He broke the world's record for the oldest man to win the world's Heavyweight title when he earned it at the age of , a record that would be broken on November 5, 1994, by George Foreman, who...
and Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Mack Charles was an African-American professional boxer and former world heavyweight champion. He holds wins over numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw.-Career:He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia,...
and the 1951 fight between Johnny Bratton
Johnny Bratton
Johnny Bratton, also known as Honey Boy Bratton, , was a professional boxer in the welterweight division...
and Charley Fusari
Charley Fusari
Charley Fusari was an American boxer born in Italy. Charley was undefeated in his first 45 fights. In his 45th fight, he beat the great Tippy Larkin.Fusari had two world title shots during his career...
. He did Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
basketball games for WGN-TV from 1966 until 1973 as well.
Background
Brickhouse was born in Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
to Will and Daisy Brickhouse. His father died when Jack was just two years old, and the younger Brickhouse was largely raised by his mother. Brickhouse's first job was delivering the Peoria Journal
Peoria Journal Star
The Journal Star is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it became a Copley-owned entity in 1996. In 2007, the paper was sold to Fairport, New York-based GateHouse Media.-History:...
and Peoria Star
Peoria Journal Star
The Journal Star is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it became a Copley-owned entity in 1996. In 2007, the paper was sold to Fairport, New York-based GateHouse Media.-History:...
, a job he started at age 11. Brickhouse attended Peoria Manual High School
Manual High School (Peoria, Illinois)
Manual High School is a public high school located in the south end of Peoria, Illinois. It is the southernmost of the three city high schools operated by the Peoria Public Schools. Manual opened in 1909 and moved from its Lincoln avenue site to a new building located at 811 S...
.
Brickhouse began his broadcasting at the age of 18 at Peoria radio station WMBD
WMBD (AM)
WMBD is the oldest radio station in Peoria, Illinois. It broadcasts on 1470 kHz with 5000 watts day and night, with a 2-tower pattern during the day and a 4-tower pattern at night.The station started broadcasting in 1927...
in 1934. Chicago radio station WGN
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
hired him in 1940 to broadcast Cubs and White Sox games, largely on the recommendation of their top announcer, Bob Elson
Bob Elson
Robert A. Elson was a pioneering American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Born in Chicago, Elson got into broadcasting by accident. While vacationing in St. Louis in 1928, Elson was touring KWK when a receptionist saw him among 40 men in line for an audition and thought he was going for one...
. He was also the very first face shown when WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
, Chicago's Channel 9, began broadcasting in 1948. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, and thus missed the 1945 season, the only time during his long tenure that the Cubs would win the National League pennant. His only pennant as a broadcaster would be the one won by the White Sox in 1959.
Brickhouse broadcast both Cubs and White Sox games until 1967—something he was able to do because they almost never played at home on the same day. He retired in 1981.
Broadcasting style
Brickhouse tried to let the pictures speak for themselves. In contrast, his successor as Cubs announcer, Harry CarayHarry Caray
Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
, a radio broadcaster by training, tended to describe the game on TV as if he were doing a radio broadcast. Brickhouse was sparer with his descriptive prose; perhaps not as spare as Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, but talking in quick bursts rather than long sentences, knowing that the well-established camera work of WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
and of producer Arne Harris
Arne Harris
Arnold H. Harris was the producer/director of WGN-TV's Chicago Cubs television broadcasts from 1964 until his death....
would tell much of the story.
Instead of over-describing the action, "Brick" was more likely to add "flavor" to what was obviously happening, with almost child-like enthusiasm. He would pepper his play-by-play with various old-fashioned expressions, such as "Whew, boy!" after a close play that went the home team's way, or "Oh, brother!" when it went the other way, or "Wheeeee!" when the team would do something well. During games at Wrigley Field, if the score was tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning, Brickhouse would retort, "Any old kind of a run wins it for the Cubs."
He was best known for the expression "Hey-hey", which he reportedly used everywhere... when the baseball team hit a homer, when the football team scored a touchdown, or even when he was taking tricks in a card game. But it was that home run call that stuck in fans' memories, and that phrase now vertically adorns the screens on the foul poles at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
.
Chicago columnist and lifelong Cubs fan Mike Royko
Mike Royko
Michael "Mike" Royko was a newspaper columnist in Chicago, who won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for commentary...
's annual Cubs quiz, April 11, 1968, included the following question:
- Q: Quick - When a ball goes over the left-field wall, what street does it land on?
- A: Waveland Avenue. But to hear Jack Brickhouse yell, you'd think it landed in his eye.
(One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko, University of Chicago, 1999, p. 29-31)
Some examples of Brick's calls:
September 22, 1959; White Sox at Cleveland in the 9th inning of what would be the A.L. championship pennant-clinching game.
"(Carrol) Hardy on second, (Jimmy) Piersall on first, and 'dangerous' Vic Power
Victor Pellot
Victor Pellot a.k.a. "Vic Power" was the second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball and the first Puerto Rican to play in the American League...
is up ... one out. Power ... is 1 for 4, an infield single ... there's a ground ball ... (Luis) Aparicio has it ... steps on second, throws to first ... THE BALL GAME'S OVER! THE WHITE SOX ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF 1959! A FORTY YEAR ... WAIT HAS NOW ENDED!"
May 15, 1960; pitcher Don Cardwell
Don Cardwell
Donald Eugene Cardwell was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five National League teams from 1957 to 1970...
, in his Cubs debut, is trying to get the last out of a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
, against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
; the batter is Joe Cunningham
Joe Cunningham
Joseph Robert Cunningham, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left-handed batter who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Chicago White Sox , and Washington Senators ....
; the left fielder is Walt "Moose" Moryn
Moose Moryn
Walter Joseph "Moose" Moryn was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Moryn played in the majors from through for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St...
...
- "Watch it now ... Hit on a line to left ... Come on, Moose! ... HE CAUGHT IT! Moryn made a fabulous catch! ... It's a no-hitter for Cardwell! ... What a catch that Moryn made, what a catch he made!"
December 15, 1963; Bears defensive back Dave Whitsell makes a key play that wins the game over Detroit
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, and clinches the Western Conference for the Bears...
- "Here's the pass ... picked off by Whitsell! ... HE'S GONNA GO! ... HE'S GONNA GO! ... TOUCHDOWN! ... HEY-HEY!"
May 12, 1970; Atlanta's
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
Pat Jarvis pitches to "Mr. Cub", Ernie Banks
Ernie Banks
Ernest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...
...
- "Jarvis fires away ... That's a fly ball, deep to left, back, back ... HEY-HEY! He did it! Ernie Banks got number 500! The ball tossed to the bullpen ... everybody on your feet ... this ... is IT! WHEEEEEEE!"
Death
Following brain surgery on March 3, 1998 to remove a tumor, he died in Chicago, Illinois from cardiac arrestCardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
. He was interred at the Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.