Chuck Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuck Thompson
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Thompson in 1996
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| Born |
Charles Lloyd Thompson
June 10, 1921 Palmer, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | March 6, 2005 (aged 83) |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Baltimore Orioles Baltimore Colts |
| Genre(s) | Play-by-play |
| Sports | Major League Baseball National Football League |
Charles Lloyd Thompson (born June 10, 1921 – died March 6, 2005) was a famous American sportscaster. He was best known for his exciting broadcasts of Major League Baseball games for the Baltimore Orioles. He also called games for the National Football League's Baltimore Colts. People recognized him for his deep voice and clear way of describing the action. He had two famous sayings: "Go to war, Miss Agnes!" and "Ain't the beer cold!"
Contents
About Chuck Thompson
Early Life and Start in Radio
Chuck Thompson was born in Palmer, Massachusetts, in 1921. His family moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1927. He started his radio career very young, in 1939, at a station called WRAW-AM in Reading. He worked there until 1942.
Later that year, he moved to Philadelphia and joined WIBG-AM as an announcer. His career was paused in 1943 when he joined the U.S. Army. He became a sergeant and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. After leaving the Army in 1945, he returned to WIBG. From 1946 to 1949, he helped broadcast home games for Philadelphia's two professional baseball teams, the Athletics and the Phillies. He also called Temple University football games.
Broadcasting in Baltimore
In 1949, Chuck Thompson moved to Baltimore. He became the play-by-play voice for the minor league International League Orioles and the Colts football team.
When the American League's St. Louis Browns baseball team moved to Baltimore in 1954 and became the Baltimore Orioles, Chuck Thompson wanted to be their announcer. He joined the broadcast team for the Orioles in 1955. A few years later, he also called games for the Washington Senators.
Thompson returned to broadcast Orioles games in 1962. He worked on both radio and television. He was a main voice for the Orioles until his first retirement in 1987. The best part of his career was the 17 years he worked with his broadcast partner, Bill O'Donnell. Together, they called two World Series wins for the Orioles (in 1966 and 1970). They also saw the team win five American League championships and six division titles. Chuck Thompson also worked with other famous people like Brooks Robinson.
Besides baseball, Thompson also called Baltimore Colts football games for many years. He worked on CBS television and later on WCBM Radio until the team moved to Indianapolis in 1984. He was named Maryland Sportscaster of the Year for eight years in a row, from 1959 to 1966.
National Broadcasts
Chuck Thompson also became famous for his national broadcasts. In 1954, he called the NFL's Saturday night Game of the Week on the DuMont Television Network. He also called the 1954 NFL Championship Game.
In 1958, he called the legendary 1958 Championship Game for NBC. This game was famous for being the first professional football game to go into sudden-victory overtime. Thompson called the overtime period. He also called other NFL Championship Games in 1959 and 1964.
For baseball, Thompson worked for NBC's Game of the Week in 1959 and 1960. He also helped cover the World Series games held in Baltimore in 1966, 1970, and 1971.
He is especially remembered for his call of Bill Mazeroski's game-winning home run in the 1960 World Series. This home run ended the series. Even though his call had a small mistake, it became very famous. Later, this moment was used in a TV commercial, making it even more well-known.
Later Career and Awards
Chuck Thompson came out of retirement in 1991 to work part-time for the Orioles again on WBAL-AM. He helped out when the main announcer, Jon Miller, was busy. However, his eyesight began to fail because of a condition called macular degeneration. This led him to retire for good in 2000.
In 1993, he received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. This award honors great baseball broadcasters. In 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked him as one of the top 50 sportscasters of all time.
Death
Chuck Thompson passed away on March 6, 2005, at the age of 83. He died in Towson, Maryland, after having a stroke.
Famous Sayings
Chuck Thompson had two well-known sayings: "Go to war, Miss Agnes!" and "Ain't the beer cold!"
He got "Go to war, Miss Agnes!" from a golfing friend. His friend would say it when things didn't go well, instead of using bad words. Thompson stopped using this phrase during the Vietnam War because the war lasted a long time. However, another sportscaster, Woody Durham, later picked it up for North Carolina Tar Heels football and basketball games.
