Chuck Swirsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuck Swirsky
|
|
|---|---|
Swirsky calling a Chicago Bulls game at the United Center in 2009.
|
|
| Born | January 30, 1954 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
|
| Nationality | American–Canadian |
| Education | Interlake High School |
| Occupation | Radio sports announcer |
| Employer | Chicago Bulls |
Chuck Swirsky (born January 30, 1954) is a famous American-Canadian radio sports announcer. He is best known as the "play-by-play" voice for the Chicago Bulls. This means he describes all the action of their basketball games live on the radio.
Chuck Swirsky started his career in Chicago sports way back in 1979. He has also announced games for the University of Michigan basketball and football teams. Before joining the Bulls, he was the voice of the Toronto Raptors. Swirsky was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in Bellevue, Washington. He went to Interlake High School.
Contents
Chuck Swirsky's Early Career in Broadcasting
Chuck Swirsky began his career in radio in Cleveland. In 1979, he moved to Chicago and hosted a nightly sports radio show. On this show, he talked about Chicago sports with listeners who called in.
He later joined another radio station, where he gave sports updates. He also hosted a Sunday sports radio show. From 1980 to 1983, Swirsky was the public address announcer for the Chicago Bulls. This meant he was the voice you heard making announcements at their games.
Working at WGN Radio
In 1981, Swirsky joined WGN radio. He stayed there until the mid-1990s. During this time, he hosted many sports talk shows. He also gave regular sports updates.
While at WGN, he also called games for DePaul University basketball. He worked alongside former coach Ray Meyer. Swirsky also helped cover Chicago Bears football games before and after they played. He was often called "The Swirsk" by radio host Bob Collins.
Moving to Detroit and Toronto
After leaving WGN, Swirsky moved to Detroit. There, he called play-by-play for University of Michigan basketball in the mid-1990s. He was also the sports director for a radio station called WJR.
Becoming the Voice of the Toronto Raptors
Swirsky then moved to Toronto in 1998. He became the play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors basketball team. He first announced their games on the radio. Later, starting in 2001, he moved to television.
The Raptors honored Swirsky in 2007. They gave out 18,000 bobbleheads that looked just like him! He became famous for some fun phrases. One was "Salami & Cheese," used to advertise Raptors game tickets. Another popular phrase was "Onions, Baby, Onions." He would say this when a player made a great three-point shot. Chuck Swirsky became a Canadian citizen in 2008.
His Radio Show in Toronto
While in Toronto, Swirsky also hosted a sports radio show. It was called The Chuck Swirsky Show. On his show, he talked about sports and took calls from listeners. In 2008, Swirsky left the Raptors for personal family reasons. His radio show also ended that year.
Returning to Chicago and Recent Honors
Chuck Swirsky later returned to Chicago. He became the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bulls once again. He has also filled in to call games for the Chicago White Sox baseball team.
In 2016, Swirsky was honored. He was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was also added to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He also joined the WGN Radio Walk of Fame. In 2022, he was named to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame.
