Bold headline: Joe Buck earns Hall of Fame Frick Award, making history as part of a living father-and-son legacy.
Joe Buck is widely recognized today as the voice for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but his broadcasting roots run deep in baseball, including calling more World Series games on television than almost anyone. On a recent Wednesday, Buck received a life-changing call: he has been awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the Hall of Fame. This marks Buck’s 50th Frick Award, and it also makes him part of a unique duo—he and his father, Jack Buck, become the only father-and-son team to receive the honor. Jack Buck, who called St. Louis Cardinals games from 1954 until 2021 and served as CBS’s lead baseball announcer in 1990 and 1991, was the Frick Award recipient in 1987.
Buck expressed that the news took him by surprise. “I’m shocked in many ways. I didn’t expect this to come now,” he said. He recalled his best memory of his father as a major league broadcaster: the moment in 1987 when Cooperstown celebrated Jack Buck’s achievement, and the pride it brought to their family. He added that he wishes his late father could witness this moment and acknowledged how special it would feel for him to imagine what Jack would think and feel on this day.
The award ceremony is set for July 25, 2026, in Cooperstown, the day before the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Buck, age 56, is the second-youngest Frick Award winner, behind Vin Scully, who was 54 when he received the honor in 1982.
Buck grew up in St. Louis and worked as a broadcaster for the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds in 1989 and 1990 after finishing at Indiana University. He joined his father for Cardinals broadcasts beginning in 1991, a role he held until 2007. Jack Buck passed away in June 2002 at age 77.
In reflecting on his career, Buck highlighted the influence of his father. He noted that while he often downplays awards, the opportunity to be in the same room as his father was a priceless gift. He believes there may still be new moments ahead, but this Frick Award stands as the pinnacle of recognition so far. He imagined what his father would be thinking today, which amplifies the significance for him.
Buck recalled his father describing himself as the eyes and ears for Cardinals fans wherever they traveled, a sentiment that deeply resonated with him. This sense of connection between the team and its fans captured the essence of Buck’s approach to broadcasting.
Professionally, Buck joined Fox Sports in 1994 when the network began televising NFL games, and two years later, Fox earned the Major League Baseball rights, appointing Buck as the lead announcer with Tim McCarver as analyst. McCarver retired after the 2013 season and was honored with the Frick Award in 2021.
Buck’s World Series resume began in 1996 when he called his first Fall Classic at age 27, with appearances in 1998 and then annually from 2000 through 2021. His tally of 135 World Series games places him among a select group of U.S. play-by-play announcers to reach the century mark across major sports championships. Vin Scully’s radio and TV World Series record stands at 126.
Beyond the World Series, Buck has covered 21 All-Star Games and 26 League Championship Series for Fox, before transitioning to ESPN in 2022 as the voice of Monday Night Football. He has also called Opening Day games for ESPN and a 2023 Cardinals game alongside Chip Caray, with possible future appearances on ESPN on the horizon.
Despite his primary identity as a baseball announcer, Buck asserts his lifelong love for the sport remains central. He describes dreaming about baseball broadcasts—nightmares where he can’t find players or names, a common shared anxiety among announcers. For him, baseball is in his DNA; he grew up at Busch Stadium, and the game remains his foremost passion.
Buck becomes the sixth broadcaster to win both the Frick Award and the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Jack Buck, Dick Enberg, Curt Gowdy, Al Michaels, and Lindsey Nelson.
The Hall’s selection process requires a minimum of 10 consecutive years of experience with a network or team. A subcommittee of past Frick winners selects the ballot, which includes notable names such as Marty Brennaman, Joe Castiglione, Bob Costas, and others, with a provision that at least one candidate be a foreign-language broadcaster. The 13-person voting panel includes many legendary figures, and newcomers to the ballot this year included John Rooney of the St. Louis Cardinals and Brian Anderson of the Milwaukee Brewers, alongside returning voters and other familiar names. Buck’s name was on the ballot again this year after being dropped previously, with Dan Shulman also appearing on the ballot for the third time in four years.
— AP Baseball writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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