Chuck Swirsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuck Swirsky
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Swirsky calling a Chicago Bulls game at the United Center in 2009.
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| Born | January 30, 1954 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
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| Nationality | American–Canadian |
| Education | Ohio University- Interlake High School. |
| Occupation | Radio sports announcer |
| Employer | Chicago Bulls |
Chuck Swirsky, born on January 30, 1954, is a well-known sports announcer on the radio. He has both American and Canadian citizenship. He is famous for being the 'play-by-play' voice for the Chicago Bulls, a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Chuck started working with Chicago sports in 1979. He had his own talk show on WCFL AM 1000, which began on August 27, 1979. He also announced games for the University of Michigan's basketball and football teams. Before joining the Bulls, he was the play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors.
Chuck was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He grew up in Bellevue, Washington, and finished high school at Interlake High School.
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Chuck Swirsky's Career in Broadcasting
Chuck Swirsky began his career in radio in Cleveland at WWWE-AM. In 1979, he started hosting a nightly sports radio show on WCFL (AM 1000). On this show, he talked about Chicago sports and took calls from listeners.
Early Days in Chicago Radio
After WCFL, Chuck moved to WLUP, also known as The Loop. There, he gave sports updates in the afternoons. He also hosted a Sunday sports radio show from 9 to 11 PM until 1981.
In 1980, Chuck became the public address announcer for the Chicago Bulls. He held this role until 1983. He then joined WGN radio in 1981 and stayed there through the mid-1990s. At WGN, he hosted different sports talk shows and provided sports news.
Announcing for DePaul and the Bears
While at WGN, Chuck also did play-by-play announcing for DePaul basketball games. He worked alongside former coach Ray Meyer. He also covered the pre-game and post-game shows for the Chicago Bears. Chuck often appeared on the Bob Collins radio show to discuss Chicago sports. Bob Collins even gave him the nickname "The Swirsk."
Moving to Michigan and Toronto
After his time at WGN, Chuck Swirsky moved to Detroit. In the mid-1990s, he did play-by-play for University of Michigan basketball. He was also the sports director for WJR radio.
Next, Chuck moved to Toronto. He became the play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors during the 1998–99 NBA season. He first announced their games on the radio, then on television starting in 2001.
Famous Phrases and Canadian Citizenship
On March 23, 2007, the Raptors honored Chuck. They gave out 18,000 special bobbleheads that looked like him. He became known for his fun phrase "Salami & Cheese." This phrase was used to advertise Raptors game ticket packages. Another famous phrase he used was "Onions, Baby, Onions." He would say this when a player made a three-point shot. This phrase was later used to advertise Raptors NBA TV HD. Chuck became a Canadian citizen on January 14, 2008.
During his time in Toronto, Chuck also hosted a sports radio show called The Chuck Swirsky Show on CJCL (The Fan 590). On this show, he took calls from listeners and shared sports news. On May 6, 2008, Chuck left the Raptors organization for personal family reasons. His show ended on July 31, 2008.
Return to Chicago and Recent Honors
Chuck Swirsky has since returned to Chicago. He is now the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bulls. Their main radio station is WMVP, which is the same station as his first employer, WCFL. In 2015, he also filled in to call some Chicago White Sox baseball games.
Chuck has received many honors for his work. On September 7, 2016, he was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. In May 2018, he was inducted into 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.
