Chick Hearn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chick Hearn
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Hearn in 1963
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| Born |
Francis Dayle Hearn
November 27, 1916 Buda, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | August 5, 2002 (aged 85) Northridge, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery |
| Occupation | Sportscaster and assistant general manager |
| Years active | 1957–2002 |
| Spouse(s) |
Marge Jeffers
(m. 1938) |
| Children | 2 |
Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn (born November 27, 1916 – died August 5, 2002) was a famous American sportscaster. He was best known as the voice of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team for 41 years. He also worked as the team's assistant general manager for seven years. Chick Hearn was famous for his fast and exciting way of talking during games. He even invented many common basketball phrases like "slam dunk" and "air ball". He broadcast an amazing 3,338 Lakers games in a row! Many of his broadcasts were shown on both radio and TV at the same time.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Life and Nickname
Chick Hearn was born in Buda, Illinois, and grew up in Aurora, Illinois. He went to high school at Marmion Academy and college at Bradley University. He got his nickname "Chick" when he was a basketball player in college. His teammates played a joke on him, giving him a shoebox that he thought had new sneakers. Instead, he found a dead chicken inside!
Chick married his wife, Marge, on August 13, 1938. They had two children, a son named Gary and a daughter named Shannon. Both of his children passed away before him. Marge Hearn lived to be 98 years old.
Broadcasting Streak
Chick Hearn's amazing streak of broadcasting games began on November 21, 1965. Before that, he had only missed two Lakers games since he started in March 1961. He wouldn't miss another game until December 16, 2001. During this long streak, he worked with many different co-commentators, like Pat Riley and Stu Lantz.
His streak of 3,338 consecutive Lakers games ended on December 16, 2001. He needed to have heart surgery. Chick recovered from his surgery. But in February 2002, he broke his hip after a fall. This delayed his return to broadcasting. He recovered from both injuries and came back on April 9, 2002. The crowd at Staples Center gave him a huge standing ovation. His last broadcast was for Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals. The Lakers won their third straight championship in that game.
Assistant General Manager Role
In 1972, Chick Hearn became the assistant general manager for the Lakers. The team owner, Jack Kent Cooke, hired him. Chick helped the team decide on players and trades. He also helped with player contracts for seven years. He even advised the owner to draft the future Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson in 1979.
Other Broadcast Work
Besides the Lakers, Chick Hearn hosted a TV show called Bowling for Dollars. He also announced boxing matches. He covered the U.S. Open golf tournament for several years. Chick also called USC football and basketball games. During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, he announced the USA Men's Basketball games.
Chick Hearn also appeared in some TV shows and movies. He often played himself or a sports announcer. For example, he was in Fletch and voiced a character in an episode of Garfield and Friends. He even voiced himself in an episode of The Simpsons!
Death
In the summer of 2002, Chick Hearn fell at his home. He hit his head and was seriously injured. Three days later, on August 5, 2002, he passed away from his injury. He was 85 years old. He is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. He is next to his son Gary and daughter Shannon.
Honors and Legacy
Chick Hearn received many honors for his amazing career. On May 9, 1991, he won the Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the first broadcaster to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also inducted into the American Sportscaster Hall of Fame in 1995.
To honor him, the city of Los Angeles renamed a street near the Crypto.com Arena (where the Lakers play) to Chick Hearn Court. His name, along with a microphone, hangs from the rafters of the arena. This is next to the retired numbers of famous Lakers players.
Chick Hearn also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6755 Hollywood Blvd. On April 27, 2010, a bronze statue of Chick Hearn was placed outside Staples Center. There's even a chair next to his statue so fans can sit and take pictures!
On-Air Style
Chick Hearn was famous for his unique way of calling games. He focused completely on the play-by-play. He spoke clearly and very quickly. This style was perfect for his broadcasts that were on both TV and radio. People listening on the radio felt like they were watching the game. He was also very formal, always calling the Lakers' owners "Mr. Cooke" or "Dr. Buss."
Chickisms
The special phrases Chick Hearn used during his broadcasts were called "Chickisms." Many of these phrases are now common in basketball.
- 20 foot lay-up: A jump shot made by player Jamaal Wilkes.
- And that one came down wet: A shot that goes very high in the air before going in.
- Air-mail Special!: A shot that is blocked very strongly, often sent high into the stands.
- Bloooows the layup! : Missing a very easy shot right near the basket.
- Boo-birds: Fans who boo their own team when they play badly.
- The Bank is open: A shot that bounces off the backboard and goes in.
- The charity stripe: The free throw line.
- Caught with his hand in the cookie jar: A foul where a player reaches out and hits an opponent.
- Couldn't throw a pea into the ocean: The team is shooting very badly.
- Didn't draw iron: A shot that misses the rim but hits the backboard.
- Dribble-drive: A player dribbling the ball while moving towards the basket.
- Finger roll: A shot where the ball rolls off the shooter's fingers.
- First lead since they got off the bus: The first time a team has led in the game.
- Fly-swatted: A shot blocked with a lot of force.
- Frozen rope: A shot that travels in a very flat line.
- High above the western sideline: Chick's spot in the arena where he called the games.
- Ice-water in his veins: When a player makes a very important free throw under pressure.
- In & out, heart-brrrreak!: A shot that looks like it's going in but then bounces out.
- This game's in the refrigerator: the door is closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard and the Jell-O's jigglin'!: The game is over and the outcome is certain.
- Marge could have made that shot: A missed shot that was so easy, even Chick's wife could have made it.
- Matador Defense: Very poor defense that lets the opponent easily get to the basket.
- No harm, no foul: When the referee doesn't call a foul even though there was some contact.
- On him like a postage stamp: Very tight defense on an opponent.
- Picks up the garbage and takes it to the dump: A player gets a loose ball and scores easily.
- Popcorn Machine: When a defender jumps high in the air because of a fake, taking them out of the play.
- Slam dunk!: A powerful shot where a player forces the ball through the rim with one or both hands.
- Standing there, combing his hair: When a player who wasn't involved in the play suddenly gets the ball and scores easily.
- Takes him to the third floor and leaves him at the mezzanine: When an offensive player fakes a defender into jumping, drawing a foul.
- Throws up a brick: When a player takes a very bad shot that bounces hard off the rim.
- Ticky-tack: A foul called for very little contact.
- Words-eye view: What listeners got when Chick called the game on the radio.
Nicknames for Lakers Players
Chick Hearn gave many Lakers players special nicknames:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Cap, The Captain, Big Fella
- Kobe Bryant: The Kid
- Michael Cooper: Coop, Secretary of Defense
- Derek Fisher: Fish, D-Fish, The Bulldog
- Magic Johnson: The Magic Man, Buck, Mag
- Shaquille O'Neal: Big Fella
- James Worthy: Big Game James
Memorable Calls
Here are some of Chick Hearn's most famous calls:
And the crowd stands for Kareem to get the ball. Everybody's waving their arms...it's in to Kareem. Kareem swing left...right-hand twelve-footer...GOOD!
—-calling Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record 31,420th point, making him the league's all-time leading scorer.
The new king of scoring has ascended his throne.
—-Right after Kareem's record-breaking basket.
To the left goes Magic...he's got it. He didn't shoot it...five seconds left. Magic down the middle, just what I thought. A hook shot at twelve, GOOD! Two seconds left! The Lakers take the lead on Magic Johnson's running sky-hook! Hooie!
—-calling Magic Johnson's famous "junior sky-hook" in Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals.
Kobe's down the middle, he's in deep. Throws to Shaq... SLA-A-AM DUNK! Portland can put the champagne away and get out the bottled water, 'cause that's all they're gonna drink on their way home!
—-calling the Lakers' comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
