He wasn't much of a player on the field, by his own admission, with a lifetime average of around .200, but Bob Uecker was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 as the winner of the Ford Frick Award for his work in broadcasting.
Uecker played 6 seasons (1962-7) with the Braves, Cardinals, & Phillies before swapping his catcher's mitt for an announcer's blazer. Uecker began his announcing career with his hometown Milwaukee Brewers in 1971, and continued through last season, 54 seasons in all.
During this time, Uecker went national. An off-season gig as an opening act for jazz icon Al Hirt led to Uecker getting his first booking on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson after the 1971 season. In all, Uecker logged more than 100 appearances between 1971-92, when Carson retired. Uecker also called postseason games for ABC, and, I believe, NBC, and landed a role in the sitcom, Mr. Belvedere (1985-90), which led to the "Major League" movie series with Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, et al, which began in 1989. Uecker played Cleveland announcer Harry Doyle in the trilogy.
Being part of Miller Lite's cast of athletes and actors led to his being tapped as a backstage reporter at Wrestlemania 4 in 1988 in Atlantic City, and an infamous confrontation with Andre The Giant.
Uecker passed away overnight from small cell cancer at 90.
Rest in peace.
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