By Saam facts for kids

Byrum Fred Saam Jr. (September 11, 1914 – January 16, 2000) was an American sportscaster. He was famous for being the first full-time voice of baseball in Philadelphia.

Early Life and First Broadcasts

Byrum Saam was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He went to high school there with famous golfer Ben Hogan. Even before he graduated, Byrum was already announcing high school football games over the public address system and on the radio.

While attending Texas Christian University, he broadcast college football games. Many of these games were even heard on CBS Radio! A top sportscaster named Ted Husing heard Byrum's work. He suggested Byrum apply for a job at a radio station in Minneapolis in 1934.

The station asked Byrum to try broadcasting a baseball game. Even though he had played baseball in high school, he had never called a game before. But he did so well that he got the job! He quickly became the station's main sportscaster. He called games for the Minneapolis Millers (a minor league team). He also re-created the 1935 World Series and called University of Minnesota football games.

Becoming the Voice of Philadelphia Baseball

Starting in Philadelphia

In 1937, Byrum moved to WCAU radio in Philadelphia. He started calling college football games for Temple, University of Pennsylvania, and Villanova. Soon, the owners of Philadelphia's two major league baseball teams noticed him. These teams were the Athletics and the Phillies.

Calling Games for Both Teams

In 1938, Byrum Saam became the first full-time announcer for the Athletics. The next year, he also started calling games for the Phillies. He did this for 12 seasons! This was possible because both teams shared Shibe Park. They almost never played home games on the same day.

For most of Byrum's time, both the A's and Phillies were not very good teams. He didn't get to call a winning team until the 1947 A's. It's estimated that he called over 4,000 losses, which might be the most for any baseball announcer ever! His detailed way of describing the games earned him the nickname "The Man of a Zillion Words." Even though he lived in Philadelphia for the rest of his life, he always kept his soft Texas accent.

In 1950, both Philadelphia teams started broadcasting their away games live. This meant Byrum had to choose just one team to announce. He chose to stay with the Athletics because he was good friends with their owner, Connie Mack. But, as luck would have it, the 1950 Phillies won their first championship in 35 years! Meanwhile, the A's had the worst record in baseball that year. Byrum and his partner, Claude Haring, continued to call Athletics games until the team moved to Kansas City after the 1954 season.

Later Years with the Phillies

After the Athletics left, Byrum Saam returned to the Phillies in 1955. He was joined by Bill Campbell in 1962. A year later, former Phillies player Richie Ashburn joined them. Bill Campbell left in 1970 and Harry Kalas took his place. Byrum, Richie, and Harry broadcast Phillies games until Byrum retired in 1975.

It's interesting that the year after Byrum retired, the Phillies won their division. This was their first time in the postseason since 1950! This meant Byrum missed out on calling a championship team for the second time. Because of this, Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn invited Byrum into the broadcast booth for the game where the Phillies won their division. They even let him call the last half-inning! The Phillies also added him to the broadcast team during the 1976 National League Championship Series.

Even though he never called a championship team in Philadelphia, Byrum did call 13 no-hitters. This included Jim Bunning's perfect game in 1964. He also broadcast the World Series for NBC Radio in 1959 and 1965.

Unlike many announcers of his time, Byrum rarely openly cheered for the Phillies or A's from the booth. He believed it wasn't helpful to criticize umpires, even when they made a bad call. His co-worker, Bill Campbell, remembered that Byrum's life philosophy was "rolling along." He always stayed calm, whether the team was winning big or going through a long losing streak.

Other Sports Broadcasting

Besides baseball, Byrum Saam also announced games for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. He also called games for the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA. He was one of the announcers during Wilt Chamberlain's amazing 100-point game in 1962! Byrum was also the first announcer for a nationally televised NFL game on Thanksgiving. This was on November 26, 1953, when the Lions beat the Green Bay Packers.

Byrum also called games for the Eastern Hockey League's Philadelphia Ramblers. On January 8, 1961, he broadcast the third period and overtime of a Ramblers game from New York back to Philadelphia.

Funny Moments and Later Life

Byrum Saam was known for occasionally making funny mistakes on the air. For example, he once started a game by saying, "Hello, Byrum Saam, this is everybody speaking." Another time, before a World Series game, when he was introduced as "amiable, affable, able Byrum Saam," he accidentally replied, "Right you are, Mel Allen." Once, when a player was chasing a fly ball, Byrum said, "Alex Johnson is going back. He's going back, back. His head hits the wall. He reaches down, picks it up, and throws into second base." Of course, he meant the player ran into the wall!

In 1990, Byrum Saam received the Ford Frick Award. This award is given by the Baseball Hall of Fame for excellent broadcasting. His broadcast partners, Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas, were also later honored by the Hall of Fame.

Byrum Saam was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 1993. He even took classes to learn the "Philadelphia accent"! He had three children with his wife, Anne, and six grandchildren.

Byrum Saam passed away in 2000 in Devon, Pennsylvania.