Bob Uecker, Baseball Broadcasting Legend and “Major League” Actor, Dead at 90

Bob Uecker has died at the age of 90, the Milwaukee Brewers announced on Thursday, Jan. 16.

In a post on X, the team memorialized the Brewers legend.

"We are heartbroken to announce that Brewers icon & Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Uecker passed away today at the age of 90," they wrote.

The former baseball player started broadcasting games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971 and became a beloved staple of the team and his hometown. He is widely considered one of the best broadcasters of all time. His broadcasting career led him to be a frequent guest on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, and he hosted his own sports TV programs. He even had an acting career, appearing on the TV series Mr. Belvedere and in the Major League film series.

Uecker was born and raised in Milwaukee in 1934. A catcher, he signed a baseball contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956. He finally made his major league debut in 1962. Though he was never a great hitter — he was often called baseball’s most famous .200 hitter — he played solid defense. In his six year career, he also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, winning a World Series with the Cardinals. He retired in 1967, and worked as a scout.

In 1971, he became a radio broadcaster for the Brewers, and he never stopped. Uecker’s broadcasts were always full of laughs and cheers. Cory Provus, who worked with Uecker from 2009 to 2011, told The Athletic in 2021, “When I got the job, [former broadcaster] Pat Hughes told me, he said, ‘Hey, you’ll know when Bob likes you the moment that he makes you laugh on the air and you have to continue. So when that moment happens, pinch yourself and tell yourself you’re in.’”

In addition to his hijinks in the radio booth, Uecker was also a frequent guest on The Tonight Show, where Johnny Carson referred to him as “Mr. Baseball.” He also hosted the syndicated series Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports, which featured sports bloopers, from 1985 to 1996.

In 2002, at age 68, he talked to On Milwaukee about why he kept broadcasting. “I don't think there's any motivation involved. It's baseball. It's my job,” he said. “It's something I've done for a very long time, not only doing the games on the radio, but having been a player and being in the clubhouse, on the field and up here.”

“I've been to the bottom, and I've been to the top, winning a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964,” he continued. “I think there's always a little extra incentive to really enjoy being around baseball. I still enjoy being around baseball and being around the guys. I still get a kick out of doing the games. If I didn't, I wouldn't do it anymore.” Uecker was awarded the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award in 2003.

In 2014, he cut back on the number of games he would broadcast every season, limiting his appearances on road trips. He previously had two heart surgeries in 2010.

Uecker was with his first wife, Joyce, from 1956 to 1975. They shared four children, Leeann, Steve, Sue Ann and Bob Jr. Steve died in 2012, and Leeann died in 2022. Uecker married his second wife, Judy, in 1976, and they divorced in 2001.

Outside of baseball, he lent his commentating skills to the World Wrestling Federation's third and fourth WrestleManias. From 1985 to 1990, he made regular appearances on the sitcom Mr. Belvedere (which he filmed during baseball’s off-season) and played a fictional broadcaster in the Major League film trilogy. He made cameo appearances on other TV shows, including Futurama and Monsters at Work.

Uecker is survived by his children Sue Ann and Bob Jr.

Read the original article on People