Joe Garagiola, legendary broadcaster and former MLB catcher, died today. He was 90.
Outside of baseball fans Garagiola is best known for his two stints as a panelist on The Today Show from 1967 – 1973 and again from 1990 – 1992. His colorful personality served him well during a broadcasting career that spanned seven decades. He had a 30-year association with NBC as a baseball announcer, providing both play-by-play duties as well as color commentary at various points during his career on television and radio.
Garagiola was born on February 12, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up across the street from future baseball legend Yogi Berra in the Italian-American neighborhood known as The Hill. The block on Elizabeth Avenue became retroactively known as “Hall of Fame Place.”
Following the end of his playing career, Garagiola entered the broadcast booth, and it was here that his personality and often self-deprecating humor shined. He called radio broadcasts for the Cardinals from 1955 – 1962. He joined NBC’s national broadcasting team in 1961 and became was a fixture of the NBC baseball crew for decades and called three World Series, 1984, 1986 and 1988.
Following his departure from NBC Sports he joined the broadcasting booth for the California Angels cable-televised games in 1990 and did part-time color commentary for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 – 2012.
In addition to broadcasting baseball he was a regular panelist on The Today Show and occasionally guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Other broadcasting jobs included hosting the Orange Bowl Parade and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
In 1991 he was awarded baseball’s Ford C. Frick award for outstanding broadcasting accomplishments and honored at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
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