LEGENDARY BASEBALL ANNOUNCER AND FAMILIAR FACE ON TV
∗ Born February 12, 1926 in St. Louis; grew up across the street from lifelong friend and baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra; quipped, “Not only was I not the best catcher in the major leagues, I wasn’t even the best catcher on my street”
∗ Played Major League Baseball as a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals (1946-1951), Pittsburgh Pirates (1951-1953), Chicago Cubs (1953-1954), New York Giants (1954); made four hits and batted in three runs during game 4 of 1946 World Series during his rookie season with the World Series champion Cardinals; otherwise, a mediocre player
∗ Became a popular banquet speaker; published Baseball is a Funny Game in 1960, helping to establish himself as a “personality”; its collection of humorous anecdotes showcased the folksy self-deprecating style that became his trademark as a broadcaster; also published It’s Anybody’s Ballgame (1980) and Just Play Ball (2007)
∗ Began broadcasting career announcing Cardinals games at KMOX radio in St Louis 1955 to 1962; joined NBC in 1961 covering baseball on radio and television.
∗ Was the radio voice of the New York Yankees, with Phil Rizzuto, from 1965 to 1967, where he called Mickey Mantle’s 500th career home run
∗ Returned to NBC, severing as co-host of The Today Show from 1967 to 1973 (with Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters), and again from 1990 to 1992 (with Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley); hosted NBC Radio’s Monitor on Saturday afternoons from 1969 to 1970, as well as daily five-minute commentaries
∗ Developed side career as host of TV games shows He Said She Said (1969-1970), Joe Garagiola’s Memory Game (1971), Sale of the Century (1971-1974) and To Tell The Truth (1977-1978), as well as regular host of NBC’s annual Orange Bowl Parade coverage in Miami
∗ Guest hosted occasionally on NBC-TV’s Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, including interviewing John Lennon and Paul McCartney in May 1968 – the only live appearances on the program by any of the Beatles while still a group
∗ Returned to NBC Sports in 1972 to work on the popular Game of the Week Saturday telecasts; hosted The Baseball World Of Joe Garagiola pre-game show from 1973 to 1976 for which he won a Peabody Award; became play-by-play announcer in 1974, alternating with Curt Gowdy until 1976 when he assumed the role full time; shifted to color commentary when Vin Scully did play-by-play; resigned after 1988 World Series
∗ “Interviewed” President Gerald Ford for a series of TV commercials during the 1976 presidential campaign
∗ Spent 1990 season as cable TV commentator for California Angels baseball team
∗ Co-hosted Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for USA Network from 1994 to 2002; was spoofed by Fred Willard in 2000 movie Best in Show mock documentary
∗ Worked from 1998 to 2012 as part-time color commentator during local TV broadcasts of the Arizona Diamondbacks, where son Joe Garagiola Jr was general manager
∗ Began working in 1991 with St. Peter’s Mission School on the Gila River Reservation, a cause he tirelessly promoted the rest of his life; received inaugural Legacy Award by the Catholic Community Foundation Diocese of Phoenix for his work with St. Peter’s, as well as the American Sportscasters Association Humanitarian Award
∗ Campaigned against chewing tobacco, which he used in the late 1950s but quit cold turkey; visited major league teams every year during spring training along with players who suffered cancer from the addiction
∗ Inducted into the broadcasters’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, receiving the Ford C. Frick Award for outstanding broadcasting accomplishments; inducted into National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2004
∗ Was the third recipient of the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, presented once every three years by the Baseball Hall Of Fame for positive contributions to baseball; the presentation cited his advocacy against smokeless tobacco, and his role as a founder of the Baseball Assistance Team charity that provides grants to needy members of pro baseball community
∗ Married 66 years to Audrie, who was the organist at the Cardinals’ ballpark; son Joe Jr. is now senior vice president of standards and on-field baseball operations for Major League Baseball; son Steve is a reporter and anchor for the NBC affiliate in Detroit; daughter Gina was a reporter for KTVK Channel 3 in Phoenix and is now a freelance writer; granddaughter Katie Garagiola is an actress and film production assistant
∗ Died March 23, 2016 in Scottsdale; buried in St. Louis
∗ Honored with memorial patch on the right sleeve of the Diamondbacks’ uniforms during the entire 2016 season
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