Chuck Thompson

From BR Bullpen

Charles Lloyd Thompson

Biographical Information[edit]

Chuck Thompson announced games for four different organizations, most famously the Baltimore Orioles, beginning in 1949. Thompson was known for his catchphrases "Go to war Miss Agnes" and "Ain't the beer cold." He was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 as a recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. He also was a broadcaster for the Baltimore Colts of the NFL.

Shortly after graduating from high school in 1938, he sang with the Joe Lombardo Band in [Reading, PA]], which led to passing an audition with a local radio station the next year. He was hired and quickly moved from singing to broadcasting sports. Shortly after being hired by WIBG in Philadelphia, PA, he was inducted into the United States Army in 1943 and served in Europe during World War II. In 1946, he was unexpectedly called upon to broadcast a Philadelphia Phillies game as regular announcers Byrum Saam and Claude Haring were stuck in an elevator at Shibe Park. He stepped in ably, and when the two broadcasters were freed up, he was allowed to continue with the game. He continued to work sporadically on Phillies and Philadelphia Athletics home broadcasts until the end of the 1948 season. Another unexpected break led to his next job, as he had to step in at the last minute to replace an ill colleague for a nationwide radio broadcast of a college football game in the fall of 1948. He did such a fine job that he was soon hired to become the principal voice of the Baltimore Orioles, who weer still playing in the International League at the time. He stayed on when the St. Louis Browns moved to town in 1954, taking on the Orioles name.

He retired for a first time in 1987, but was brought back in 1991 to fill in for Jon Miller when he had commitments related to his national television contract. however, his eyesight began to degenerate because of disease, and he had to give up the microphone for good in 2000.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Chuck Thompson (as told to Dave Nightingale): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, December 1969, pp. 39-40. [1]
  • Matt Schudel: "Chuck Thompson, Orioles' Voice For Nearly 30 Years, Dies at 83", The Washington Post, March 7, 2005, p. B4. [2]

Related Sites[edit]