Jack Buck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Buck
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Buck in 1987
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John Francis Buck
August 21, 1924 Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
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| Died | June 18, 2002 (aged 77) St. Louis, Missouri, United States
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| Resting place | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) | Alyce Larson (divorced in 1969) Carole Lintzenich |
| Children | Sons: Jack Jr., Dan and Joe Buck Daughters: Beverly, Christine, Bonnie, Betsy and Julie |
| Parent(s) | Earle and Kathleen Buck |
John Francis "Jack" Buck (August 21, 1924 – June 18, 2002) was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous Halls of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the National Radio Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.
Early life
Buck was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. From an early age, Buck dreamed of becoming a sports announcer with his early exposure to sports broadcasting coming from listening to Boston Red Sox baseball games announced by Fred Hoey.
He graduated from Lakewood High School in the winter of 1942. After graduation, he followed one of his friends and began working on an iron ore freight boat operated on the Great Lakes by the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company. A physical examination on board the vessel revealed Buck was color blind, unable to differentiate between the colors green and brown. Ineligible for a promotion he had applied for Buck subsequently became eligible for the military draft, and was drafted into the United States Army in June 1943.
The physicality of Buck's work on the Great Lakes left in him good physical condition at the time he entered the Army. Buck, who was 19 years old, stood 5' 11" tall, and weighed 165 pounds at the time. His first assignment was anti-aircraft training, and was sent to Fort Eustis, Virginia to undergo his 13-week basic training regimen.
Career
Buck was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts but moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area with his family in 1939. After graduating from high school, he worked on large shipping boats that traveled the Great Lakes. Buck was drafted into the United States Army in June 1943 and later was awarded a Purple Heart as part of his service. After completion of his military service in 1946, Buck enrolled at (and graduated from) Ohio State University. His early sportscasting career included work for the minor league affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1954, Buck was promoted to radio play-by-play of Cardinal games on KMOX, a position that he maintained for nearly all of the next 47 years. He was known in St. Louis for his trademark phrase "That's a winner!", which was said after every game that the Cardinals had won.
In addition to his work with the Cardinals, Buck also earned assignments on many national sportscasts, including radio coverage of 18 Super Bowls and 11 World Series. In the final years of his life, Buck also became recognized for writing poetry, culminating in national attention for his poem "For America", written after the September 11 attacks 2001. The later part of his career found him working side-by-side in the Cardinals booth with his son Joe Buck, who also has risen to national sportscasting prominence.
Death
Jack Buck died on June 18, 2002, in St. Louis's Barnes-Jewish Hospital from a combination of illnesses.
Buck was interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in south St. Louis County.
Awards and recognition
Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted Buck twice, as a media personality (1980) and Missouri sports legend (2000). The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association named Buck as Missouri Sportscaster of the Year 22 times, and inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1990. Buck was also inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 1990, the Missouri Athletic Club Hall of Fame in 1993, the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1995, and the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2005. The American Sportscasters Association ranked Buck 11th in its listing of the Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time in 2009.
Buck is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
A bronze statue of him was erected at the entrance to Busch Memorial Stadium in 1998 (and moved to a new location outside the current Busch Stadium in 2007).
A section of I-64/US-40 in St. Louis is named the Jack Buck Memorial Highway in his honor.
In January, 2014, the Cardinals announced Buck among 22 former players and personnel to be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum for the inaugural class of 2014.
The Jack Buck Award, presented by the Missouri Athletic Club "in recognition of the enthusiastic and dedicated support of sports in St. Louis", is named in his honor.
See also
- St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum
- List of St. Louis Cardinals broadcasters
Images for kids
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Buck and Shannon announcing a Cardinals game at Busch, 1992
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Jack Buck (left) with Ralph Kiner at the 1987 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
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Video Replay on the scoreboard at Busch Stadium shown on the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks of Buck reading his For America poem at Busch Memorial Stadium before the first Cardinals game after the 9/11 attacks.
