Jack Brickhouse

Jack Beasley Brickhouse

• High School Peoria Manual High School
• Born January 24, 1916 in Peoria, IL USA
• Died August 15, 1998 in Chicago, IL USA

Biographical Information

Jack Brickhouse was a broadcaster, primarily for the Chicago Cubs. He began his career after graduating from high school in Peoria. He joined the Cubs for the 1940 season. He also called some Chicago White Sox games until the Sox until they left WGN for their own flagship in 1968.

Brickhouse had quite a record of achievement, longevity, and versatility in broadcasting. He called 39 seasons of Cubs games, he also spent one season with the New York Giants, and 25 seasons with the White Sox. On occasion in the 1950s and 1960s, when the schedule provided such opportunities, Brickhouse broadcast a Cub day game AND a White Sox night game for WGN. He was the Chicago Bears' radio broadcaster for 24 seasons, most with sidekick Irv Kupcinet. He also was a broadcaster for the Green Bay Packers, numerous wrestling matches, and five presidential conventions. He made the famous call of Willie Mays' over the shoulder catch in the 1951 World Series. And he, along with Bill King and NBA stalwart Chick Hearn, called college basketball games in Peoria for the Bradley Braves.

In total, Brickhouse called 5060 baseball games. He was nicknamed the "Hey Hey Man" for his frequent call of jubilation, "Hey Hey!" He was also an unabashed fan who would let out a sigh of "oh brother" when the Cubs played poorly and a jubilant "whee!" when they did well.

Jack Brickhouse won the Ford C. Frick Award in 1982. He retired and was replaced in the Cubs booth by Harry Caray. A longtime friend of Caray's, he collapsed with a brain tumor getting ready to attend Caray's funeral. Brickhouse died five months later at age 82.

Further Reading

• Jack Brickhouse (as told to Ray Sons): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, June 1969, pp. 13. [1]