Marking his 50th year in Major League Baseball, Chicago White Sox broadcaster and former All-Star player Ken Hawk Harrelson will be profiled in MLB Networks documentary Hawk: The Colorful Life of Ken Harrelson on Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET. In the hour-long special narrated by Bob Costas, Harrelson shares many stories of his meetings and relationships with famous baseball and sports figures, including how Hall of Fame boxer Rocky Marciano offered him a chance to fight former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston at Fenway Park; that he twice turned down offers to be manager of the Boston Red Sox and assisted owner Dick OConnell in offering the job to Don Zimmer; and when Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath explained to him the night before Super Bowl III how the New York Jets were going to beat the Baltimore Colts.
Harrelson recounts other stories about playing for Athletics owner Charlie Finley; the broadcasting advice he received from Curt Gowdy and Howard Cosell; what Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams thought of each others playing ability; his friendship with Mickey Mantle; meeting Hall of Fame NFL coach Vince Lombardi; and being encouraged to pursue professional golf by Jack Nicklaus.
Taped during May and June 2013 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago and Harrelsons home in Granger, Indiana, the documentary features archival footage from Harrelsons playing career, his time as a general manager, his exploits in professional golf, his broadcasting career, as well as excerpts from the Harrelson-inspired song Dont Walk the Hawk by the Val Perry Trio. Throughout the special, Harrelson shares his thoughts on his broadcasting style, his favorite moment as a broadcaster, how the Hawk persona differs from his regular personality.
Harrelson has served as a television broadcaster for the Red Sox (1975-1981), White Sox (1982-1985, 1990-present) and the New York Yankees (1987-1988). As a player, Harrelson batted .239 with 131 home runs and 421 RBI over nine MLB seasons as a first baseman and outfielder with the Kansas City Athletics (1963-1966, 1967), Washington Senators (1966-1967), Red Sox (1967-1969) and Cleveland Indians (1969-1971). He was named an AL All-Star with the Red Sox in 1968 when he batted .275 with 35 home runs and an AL-leading 109 RBI. Aside from his playing and broadcasting career, Harrelson spent time as a professional golfer, competing in the 1972 British Open, and also served as general manager for the White Sox in 1986.
Highlights from Hawk: The Colorful Life of Ken Harrelson include:
Ken Harrelson on the broadcasting advice he received from Curt Gowdy and Howard Cosell:
They were both right, both right. You cannot please everybody, especially in a two-team city. Over the years, Ive had a lot of critics and Ive had a lot of love. Ill tell you what, obviously I love the love better, but I dont mind the critics.
Harrelson on turning down three manager jobs:
I turned down three managers jobs and thats the reason I turned them down: because my temper is not conducive to being a good manager at all.
Harrelson on how he made money early in his MLB career:
I think in 63, I was platooning. My first two years in the big leagues, I made more money playing golf, shooting pool and arm wrestling than I did in baseball.
Harrelson on how the Hawk character was developed during his time with the Red Sox:
The fans in Boston, I would say they really created Hawk. Yaz [Carl Yastrzemski] was a Triple Crown winner but Yaz didnt have that personality, ok? There were no personalities there. I think what happened was that the people were really looking for a personality and the Hawk saw that and let it come out, but that was only after he was there. They didnt create him, they just enhanced him in his situation, and I didnt mind it. I went right along with it.
Harrelson on spending time with Joe Namath the night before Super Bowl III:
Joe and I, at one time, were pretty tight. The night before they played the Colts, I was at the Palm Bay Club down in Miami. Joe and I were together and we were together until about one or so oclock in the morning. He was not drinking and I ask him, Joe, whats going to happen tomorrow? He says, Hawk, he said, Ill tell you whats going to happen tomorrow. He said, The Colts are in a zone. Theyre not going to change. Theyre not going to change what got them here. He said, Im gonna six- and eight-yard them to death and were going to win this ballgame. He [threw] four, six, eight, four, six, seven [yards]. Midway through the first quarter, you knew the Jets had a good chance of winning and they beat them.
Harrelson on the rivalry between Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio:
Ted Williams and I are having dinner. This is after Im retired, Im broadcasting now, and Ted comes down to Spring Training. Were talking, and [of] all the 150 hours we talked on hitting, I never talked to him about DiMaggio. Finally, I said, Tell me about DiMaggio, because they didnt like each other at all. I said, Ted, tell me about that trade where DiMaggio was going to come to Fenway. Youre going to go to Yankee Stadium with that little short porch out there. He says, To hell with Yankee Stadium. He said, Put me in Detroit. I said, Well, how many home runs would you have averaged in Detroit? He said, 75 a year, and you got to believe him. I said, Well, tell me about DiMaggio. He goes, Hes the best right-handed hitter I ever saw. I had never talked with Joe about baseball. This is amazing. I said, Joe, tell me about Ted Williams and that trade [where] you were going to go to Fenway and he was going to go to New York. I said, How many home runs would you have averaged in Fenway? He said, Probably around 70 a year, but you got to believe him. I said, Well, tell me about Ted. He goes, Hes the best left-handed hitter I ever saw. Almost verbatim, the two of them.
Harrelson on his relations
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Marking his 50th year in Major League Baseball, Chicago White Sox broadcaster and former All-Star player Ken Hawk Harrelson will be profiled in MLB Networks documentary Hawk: The Colorful Life of Ken Harrelson on Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET. In the hour-long special narrated by Bob Costas, Harrelson shares many stories of his meetings and relationships with famous baseball and sports figures, including how Hall of Fame boxer Rocky Marciano offered him a chance to fight former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston at Fenway Park; that he twice turned down offers to be manager of the Boston Red Sox and assisted owner Dick OConnell in offering the job to Don Zimmer; and when Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath explained to him the night before Super Bowl III how the New York Jets were going to beat the Baltimore Colts.
