Joe Buck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Buck
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Buck in 2018
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Joseph Francis Buck
April 25, 1969 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
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| Education | Indiana University Bloomington |
| Occupation | Sports commentator |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Jack Buck (father) |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre(s) | Play-by-play |
| Sports | NFL, MLB, USGA |
Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is a famous American sports announcer for ESPN.
Joe Buck is the son of well-known sportscaster Jack Buck. Joe worked for Fox Sports from 1994 until 2022. He was the main announcer for their National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) games. He called the World Series on TV for 25 years, from 1996 to 2021. Joe is known for his smooth and clear way of announcing games. In 2022, Buck moved to ESPN. He is now the main play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football.
Early Life and Education
Joe Buck was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. He grew up in the St. Louis area. He went to St. Louis Country Day School. Joe started his broadcasting career in 1989. This was while he was still a student at Indiana University Bloomington.
Joe Buck's Career Highlights
Starting Out Before Fox
Before joining Fox, Joe Buck called games for the Louisville Redbirds. This was a minor league baseball team. He also reported for ESPN's Triple-A All-Star Game in 1989. In 1991, he reported for a CBS TV station in St. Louis.
Also in 1991, Buck began broadcasting for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He filled in for his father, Jack Buck, who was working on national TV. From 1992 to 1993, he was the voice for University of Missouri basketball games.
Buck continued to call Cardinals games even after Fox hired him. As his work for Fox grew, he called fewer local games. By 2008, he stopped calling Cardinals games entirely. This was the first time since 1960 that no one from the Buck family was part of the Cardinals' broadcast team.
Working at Fox Sports (1994–2021)
Joining Fox Sports
In 1994, Fox hired Joe Buck. At just 25 years old, he became the youngest person ever to announce regular National Football League games on network TV.
Major League Baseball on Fox
In 1996, Joe Buck became Fox's main announcer for Major League Baseball. He worked with Tim McCarver, who had also worked with Joe's father. That year, Joe became the youngest person to call a World Series on national TV. He was 27 years old.
On September 8, 1998, Buck called Mark McGwire's 62nd home run. This broke Roger Maris' record for most home runs in a single season. The game was shown live across the country on Fox.
During the 2002 World Series, Buck honored his father, who had passed away earlier that year. After the final out of Game 6, he said, "We'll see you tomorrow night." This was a famous phrase his father used when Kirby Puckett hit a home run in the 1991 World Series. Joe has used this phrase many times since then.
Buck also honored his father during the 2006 World Series. After the final out of Game 5, he said, "St. Louis has a World Series winner." This was similar to his father's call when the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series.
Another famous call by Buck was in the 2013 American League Championship Series. In Game 2, the Boston Red Sox were losing to the Detroit Tigers. David Ortiz hit a game-tying grand slam. Buck's call was: "Hard hit into right, back at the wall, TIE GAME!"
Buck also called the final outs of three World Series where teams ended long championship droughts. These were the Boston Red Sox in 2004, the Chicago White Sox in 2005, and the Chicago Cubs in 2016. His calls became very memorable for fans.
From 1996 to 2021, Buck called 23 World Series and 21 All-Star Games for Fox. This is more than any other announcer on network TV.
NFL on Fox
Buck became Fox's top NFL announcer in 2002. He replaced Pat Summerall. For many seasons, he worked with Troy Aikman as the color commentator. Erin Andrews was the sideline reporter. Buck is one of only three announcers to be the main voice for both MLB and NFL coverage in the same year.
During the 2006 NFL season, Buck briefly hosted Fox's pre-game show Fox NFL Sunday. He shared the hosting duties with Curt Menefee. In 2007, Buck stopped hosting to focus on his play-by-play work.
Calling Two Sports in One Day
On October 14, 2012, Joe Buck called two major games on the same day. First, he called an NFL game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. Then, he traveled a short distance to call Game 1 of the 2012 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.
This chance came up again on October 28, 2018. Fox was showing an NFL game and Game 5 of the 2018 World Series in Los Angeles. However, Buck chose to focus only on baseball that day. He said traffic in Los Angeles would make it too hard to do both.
USGA Golf Tournaments
In 2014, Fox announced that Buck would be the main announcer for their new golf coverage. This included the U.S. Open tournament. He first worked with Greg Norman. Later, Paul Azinger replaced Norman in 2016.
ESPN/ABC (2022–Present)
On March 16, 2022, ESPN announced that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman had signed a new deal. They became the main broadcast team for Monday Night Football starting in the 2022 NFL season. This move ended their 20 years as Fox's top NFL team.
In May 2022, Buck made his first appearance on ESPN. He hosted a special broadcast of the 2022 PGA Championship. This show was produced by Peyton and Eli Manning.
In 2022, Buck was offered to call an MLB game for ESPN. However, he said he was no longer interested in calling baseball. He felt he had done all he could in that sport. In 2025, ESPN announced that Buck would call an MLB Opening Day game.
Other Appearances and Projects
In the late 1990s, Buck hosted a sports news show called Goin' Deep. He also called horse racing and bass fishing events early in his career.
Since 2001, Buck has hosted the "Joe Buck Classic." This is a golf tournament that raises money for St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Buck has appeared in many TV commercials for companies like Holiday Inn and Budweiser. He has also written opinion pieces for The Sporting News.
In 2013, Buck made a guest appearance during a St. Louis Blues hockey game broadcast. He talked about his father calling Blues games in the past.
From 2015 to 2018, Buck hosted Undeniable with Joe Buck. This was a sports interview series.
Buck published his autobiography, Lucky Bastard, in 2016.
He has appeared as himself in several TV shows. These include Pitch, American Dad!, and Family Guy. He was also in the movie Fever Pitch.
In 2021, Buck was a guest host on the game show Jeopardy!. Also in 2021, Buck and his family appeared on ABC's Celebrity Family Feud.
In 2022, Buck became the announcer for Fox's Domino Masters. He also competed on The Masked Singer as "Ram."
On July 29, 2024, Buck returned to the baseball booth. He called a Cardinals-Rangers game with his friend Chip Caray. This was his first baseball game since the 2021 World Series.
Awards and Honors
Joe Buck has received many awards for his work:
- Eight-time Sports Emmy Award winner
- Seven for Play-by-Play
- One for Studio Host
- Three-time NSMA National Sportscaster of the Year.
- 2020 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe and his father, Jack Buck, are the first father-son duo to win this award.
- Inducted into the NSMA Hall of Fame in 2024.
Personal Life
Joe Buck was married to Ann Archambault from 1993 to 2011. They have two daughters, Natalie and Trudy. On April 12, 2014, he married Michelle Beisner. She is an ESPN reporter. They have twin sons, Blake and Wyatt. The family lives in Ladue, Missouri.
Buck is a big fan of the NHL's St. Louis Blues. He also supports the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.
Vocal Cord Issue
In 2011, Joe Buck had a problem with his vocal cords. He said it was a virus that affected the nerves in his left vocal fold. This made it hard for him to raise his voice. He continued to broadcast games despite this issue.
In 2016, Buck shared that the problem was not a virus. It was vocal cord paralysis. This was likely caused by the medicine used during hair transplant procedures.
