Mel Allen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mel Allen
Allen in 1955
Born	Melvin Allen Israel February 14, 1913 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	June 16, 1996(1996-06-16) (aged 83) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Alabama
Occupation	Sportscaster

Mel Allen was a famous American sports announcer. He was born Melvin Allen Israel on February 14, 1913, and passed away on June 16, 1996. Most people remember him as the main voice for the New York Yankees baseball team for many years.

During the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, Mel Allen was one of the most well-known sports announcers. Millions of people recognized his voice. Even today, he is still called "The Voice of the Yankees." Later in his life, he also became the first host of the TV show This Week in Baseball.

Mel Allen's Early Life and Career Beginnings

Melvin Allen Israel was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He went to the University of Alabama. While he was a student there, he worked as the public address announcer for the Alabama Crimson Tide football games.

In 1933, a radio station in Birmingham, WBRC, needed a new play-by-play announcer. The Alabama football coach, Frank Thomas, suggested Mel Allen. His first broadcast was an Alabama football game against the Tulane Green Wave.

Allen finished law school at the University of Alabama School of Law in 1937. Soon after, he visited New York City for a vacation. While there, he tried out for a job at the CBS Radio Network. CBS already knew about him because their top sportscaster, Ted Husing, had heard his football broadcasts. Allen got the job.

In his first year at CBS, Allen announced the news about the Hindenburg airship crash. He became famous when he talked for half an hour without a script during a rain delay at a car race. In 1939, he was the announcer for a short movie called On the Air.

In 1937, CBS suggested that Melvin Israel use a different last name on the radio. He chose "Allen," which was his father's middle name and also his own. He legally changed his name to Melvin Allen in 1943.

Mel Allen's Broadcasting Journey

Calling Baseball Games

Mel Allen started as a commentator for CBS Radio's broadcast of the 1938 World Series. This led to him being chosen to announce games for the Washington Senators in 1939.

In June 1939, the Yankees' sponsor was "Ivory Soap." The announcer at the time, Garnett Marks, mispronounced the sponsor's name twice. He was fired, and Mel Allen was chosen to replace him. Allen became the main announcer for both the Yankees and the New York Giants. At that time, only home games were broadcast.

Allen once shared a story from his first full season with the Yankees in 1940. Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player, had to retire because of a serious illness. Gehrig told Allen, "Mel, I never got a chance to listen to your games before because I was playing every day. But I want you to know they're the only thing that keeps me going." Allen was very touched by this.

Allen's time with the Yankees and Giants was paused in 1941 when there was no sponsor for the broadcasts. But games started again in 1942. Allen announced for both teams until 1943, when he joined the United States Army during World War II. He broadcast for the military radio.

After the war, Allen only called Yankee games. By then, road games were also broadcast. Mel Allen and the Yankees became strongly linked in people's minds. The team often played in the World Series, which made this connection even stronger. Allen announced 22 World Series games on radio or TV. He also called 24 All-Star Games.

In 1952, Mel Allen was one of the first famous people to be made fun of in the new Mad comic book. He appeared in a baseball story called "Hex!"

After Russ Hodges left the Yankees, Curt Gowdy became Allen's broadcast partner in 1949 and 1950. Gowdy said that Mel Allen helped him a lot in becoming a successful announcer. Later, Red Barber, another famous announcer, joined Allen in the Yankees' booth in 1954. They worked together for ten years.

Allen called the second half of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Bill Mazeroski hit a home run that won the game for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was the only time a World Series Game 7 ended with a walk-off home run.

In the last game of the 1963 World Series, Allen lost his voice. The Dodgers swept the Yankees in four games. Vin Scully, who was announcing with Allen, took over for him when he could no longer speak.

Mel Allen had many famous sayings, like:

• "Hello there, everybody!" to start a game.
• "How a-bout that?!" for great Yankee plays.
• "There's a drive, hit deep to right. That ball is go-ing, go-ing, gonnne!!" for Yankee home runs.
• "Three and two. What'll he do?" for a full count.
• "He took a good cut!" after a strong swing and miss.

Announcing Other Sports

Allen also announced many college football bowl games, including 14 Rose Bowls. He was a play-by-play announcer for the Washington Redskins in 1952 and 1953, and for the New York Giants in 1960. He also announced for the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes.

In the early 1940s, Allen hosted a radio show called Thirty Minutes to Play. He also provided voiceovers for Fox Movietone newsreels for many years.

Leaving and Returning to the Yankees

On September 21, 1964, the Yankees told Allen that his contract would not be renewed for 1965. The Yankees never gave a clear reason for firing him. Mel Allen later said that the team's sponsor, Ballantine Beer, wanted to cut costs.

After leaving the Yankees, Allen worked for the Milwaukee Braves in 1965 and the Cleveland Indians in 1968. But he did not commit to either team full-time. Even after being fired, Allen remained loyal to the Yankees. He is still known as "the Voice of the Yankees."

The Yankees eventually brought Allen back to host special events at Yankee Stadium, like Old-Timers' Day. He also continued to announce the exhibition games between the Old Timers.

In 1976, Allen returned to the Yankees' on-air team. He hosted pre and post-game shows and started calling play-by-play again. He announced Yankee games on cable TV with other announcers like Phil Rizzuto.

Allen stayed with the Yankees' play-by-play crew until 1985. He made occasional appearances on Yankee TV shows and commercials into the late 1980s. In 1990, Allen called a WPIX Yankees game, making him the first baseball announcer to work in seven different decades.

Hosting This Week in Baseball

In his later years, many new fans learned about Mel Allen because he hosted the TV show This Week in Baseball (TWIB). He hosted the show from when it started in 1977 until he passed away. When FOX brought TWIB back in 2000, they used a claymation (clay animation) version of Allen to open and close the show for a few years.

Mel Allen in Computer Games and Movies

Mel Allen recorded the play-by-play for two computer baseball games, Tony La Russa Baseball and Old Time Baseball. These games included his famous "How about that?!" home run call. He also used this phrase in his small roles in the movies The Naked Gun (1988) and Needful Things (1993).

Allen also appeared in other films, often as a baseball announcer. In 1994, he voiced the stadium announcer for a Broadway show called ... Yankees.

Awards and Recognition

Mel Allen received many awards for his work:

• In 1972, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
• In 1978, he was one of the first two people to win the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting.
• In 1985, he was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
• In 1988, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
• In 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Allen as the second greatest sportscaster of all time, after Vin Scully.

Mel Allen's Legacy

Mel Allen passed away from heart failure on June 16, 1996, at the age of 83. His one-week vacation to New York had turned into 60 years of living and working there. He had open-heart surgery in 1989.

Allen was buried in Stamford, Connecticut. On July 25, 1998, the Yankees honored him with a plaque at Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque calls him "A Yankee institution, a national treasure" and includes his famous line "How about that?!"