HARRY
CARAY
Harry Carays unique style and outspoken personality resulted
in a rare broadcast distinction. He had a close association with
three major league teams the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago
White Sox and the Chicago Cubs.
From 1945 to 1969, Caray was the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals
on KMOX/St. Louis. There he developed not only a solid St. Louis
following, but a national following as well. During those years,
he called three World Series and one All-Star Game and was named
Baseball Broadcaster of the Year seven consecutive times by The
Sporting News.
Born Harry Carabina on March 1, 1914, in St. Louis, young Harry
played semi-pro baseball before entering radio. After learning his
trade at stations in Joliet and Kalamazoo, Michigan, he did play-by-play
for the St. Louis Hawks and the University of Missouri football
team. While at WKZO/Kalamazoo, he worked with a young newscaster
named Paul Harvey.
After leaving St. Louis, following a dispute with team ownership,
Caray headed west to the Oakland Athletics for the 1970 season.
In 1971, Caray moved to the Chicago White Sox, where for ten years
he served as their principal voice along with color man Jimmy Piersall.
In 1982, Caray shifted allegiance from the White Sox to the Cubs
and became known nationally, as a result of the super station status
of WGN Television. Caray died suddenly in 1998, and his funeral
was one of the largest in the citys history.
Harry Caray was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.
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