Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2022: Joe Buck - The Voice of the Modern Generation

08/12/2022

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2022: Joe Buck - The Voice of the Modern Generation By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Thursday, December 8, 2022 - 3:45 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Leading up to the 2022 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame ceremony on Dec. 13 at the New York Hilton, SVG is profiling the nine inductees in this year's class. For more information, CLICK HERE.

What makes a play-by-play man generational?

Is it longevity? Joe Buck checks that box: a fixture in broadcasting since 1989, when he first called baseball games for the Louisville Redbirds, a minor-league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Is it having a special collection of all the right tools? Again, check.

His voice was butterscotch, recalls Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer David Hill, former president of Fox Sports. Magnificent timbre, mellow but magisterial, good breath control, and his use of the pause was masterly.

Is some part of it luck? Being in the right place at the right time for some of the most memorable moments in modern sports: Mark McGwire's 62nd home run. The David Tyree Catch in Super Bowl XLII. The final out of the Boston Red Sox World Series Championship in 2004 and the Chicago Cubs' in 2016. The Minneapolis Miracle.

In my opinion, he's the Curt Gowdy of this generation - doing it all from the Super Bowl, World Series, and U.S. Open to bass fishing, horse racing and everything in between, says longtime Fox Sports producer Pete Macheska. His voice is synonymous with some of the biggest moments and brightest spotlights, entertaining without ever getting in the way of the story unfolding on our screens. An industry-defining broadcaster and exceptional person. There aren't many like Joe Buck.

Or is it something more? Maybe what makes a play-by-play man generational is being just the right voice to meet the moment, however wild or unpredictable those moments may be.

Joe is an amazing talent and one of the greatest play-by-play guys in sports television, says Rich Russo, a veteran director at Fox Sports who was at the front bench for many of Buck's NFL broadcasts. When you turned on a game on Fox and heard his voice, you just knew it was a huge game and a big event. Joe has had some of the most iconic calls in the history of sports television. He has an incredible ability to know and understand the moment and when to make a call and when to just lay out and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Buck got the call-up to the big leagues in 1991, joining his father, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Jack Buck, in the radio and television booths for the Cardinals. But it was when Fox Sports launched in 1994 that he got his big break.

Hill and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and former Fox Sports Vice Chairman Ed Goren had already secured their squad, bringing in a team of Hall of Famers, the legendary Pat Summerall and John Madden, to lead its first foray into football. They had even signed another iconic veteran of the business, Dick Stockton. Now they wanted that younger voice, someone who would take the brand into the next generation.

[When we were starting Fox Sports,] I wanted young, fresh voices, says Hill. I knew of Jack Buck by repute, and I'm a great believer in bloodlines. Even though Secretariat sired winners like Rising Star and Lady's Secret, none of his progeny came close to emulating his remarkable career. So it was with some trepidation that I [watched Joe's] tape. Boom. This kid knew his stuff.

At just 25 years old, Buck became the youngest man to ever call a regular slate of NFL games, and both Fox Sports' legacy and Buck's career were headed to the moon.

In 1996, Fox Sports landed the rights to Major League Baseball, and Buck became the lead voice on the package, following in his father's footsteps and calling baseball, the sport most closely associated with his father. Joe Buck and baseball became similarly linked. Over the next quarter century, his voice accompanied every marquee moment for the sports, including 22 MLB All-Star Games and 24 World Series. He was the youngest person ever to call a World Series game for a broadcast network.

And there was Mark McGwire's 62nd homerun in 1998. The Yankees dynasty of the late '90s. The breaking of the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. The first championships for two long-suffering fanbases in Chicago. Even an unforgettable throwback to his father in the 2011 World Series: when David Freese's walk-off home run sailed out of Busch Stadium to win Game 6, Joe summoned the words bellowed by his father when Kirby Puckett won Game 6 of the 1991 World Series with a home run: We'll see you tomorrow night!

In 2002, he doubled up his duties and became the lead voice of the NFL on Fox, partnered from the get-go with Super Bowl-winning former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. For more than two decades, the pair has called 280+ regular-season games, 40 playoff games, 18 NFC Championship Games, and six Super Bowls.

Joe does every aspect of the job while never missing a moment, says Aikman, always having a keen sense of timing and elevating every meaningful situation. Simply, he is the best I've ever seen.

From annual Thanksgiving Games to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history - the New England Patriots' win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI - Buck has become a regular guest in the homes of Americans, taking them through the biggest nights of their falls and winters - at times under-appreciated, at others just the voice you wanted calling a play destined for the history books. Through it all, he has won the Sports Emmy for Best Play-by-Play a record-tying eight times.

Buck is currently in his 29th season calling NFL games, which has been marked by a monumental shift to ESPN and the iconic Monday Nig
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2022/12/08/sports-broadcasting-hall-of-fam...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026

Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2026

Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...

18/03/2026

Neutrik To Showcase opticalCON ADVANCED Connectors At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Details 2026 NAB Show Educational Sessions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Ben Bradshaw Joins PSSI as Director, Product and Network Development

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Peter Thordarson Joins ASG as Technical Account Executive

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Survey: Voters Trust TV News Over AI, Social and Search

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...

18/03/2026

Maxon Marks Its Official Entry Into the AEC Market With I...

Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...

18/03/2026

Digital Alert Systems NAB Preview 2026

Digital Alert Systems Preview 2026 NAB Show April 19 - 22 Booth C3452 At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...

18/03/2026

Setplex Transforms Video Streaming with AI and Super Aggr...

Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...

18/03/2026

SES Announces Extension of Tender Offer

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...

18/03/2026

Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware, Virtual and Hybrid Audio Lineup Yet

Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...

18/03/2026

Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...

18/03/2026

Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown

Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...

18/03/2026

Charlie Puth Joins Switched On Pop at Berklee NYC

Charlie Puth Joins Switched On Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...

17/03/2026

NASA+ Prepares To Live Stream Historic Artemis II Mission, Bringing Deep-Space Exploration to Global Audiences

NASA+'s Rebecca Sirmons and Brittany Brown offer unique look at live streami...

17/03/2026

BBright's TTML & SMPTE ST 2110-43: One Single Stream For the Whole World

The transition to IP has fundamentally reshaped professional media infrastructures. Video, audio, and increasingly metadata now circulate as independent, precis...

17/03/2026

Op-Ed: How Generative AI Is Transforming Live Sports Streaming Optimization

Live sports streaming can push every element in your video delivery chain to its limit, exposing every potential weakness in seconds. When the Super Bowl, the O...

17/03/2026

Dell Case Study: Powering the Future of Sports Media One Experience at a Time at UT Austin

Texas Athletics sought to modernize its media production, enhance fan experience...

17/03/2026

NAB 2026: Ikegami to Showcase Latest Generation TV Production Cameras, Controllers and Monitors

Ikegami USA will demonstrate the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast...

17/03/2026

TNA Wrestling and iHeartMedia Announce Major Multi-Platform Collaboration

TNA Wrestling and iHeartMedia announces a new multi-platform collaboration that will integrate iHeartMedia across TNA's premium live events, weekly televisi...

17/03/2026

The Miami Dolphins and Dell Boost Fan Experience, Safety, and Efficiency at Hard Rock Stadium

The goal was to transform Hard Rock Stadium into a global leader in sports and e...

17/03/2026

Spectrum Launches Multiview for NCAA Basketball Tournaments

Spectrum has announced the launch of its new Multiview feature in the Spectrum TV App, giving customers the ability to watch up to four NCAA men's or women&...

17/03/2026

Pac-12 Inks Integrity/Data Deals With Genius Sports, IC360

Genius Sports deal also covers data technology, AI, fan engagement, and performance analysis....

17/03/2026

Rede Massa Chooses Net Insight to Enable State-Wide Centralized Operations

Net Insight is supporting the rollout of a new state-wide centralized operation with Rede Massa, which is an SBT affiliate, the Brazilian regional television ne...

17/03/2026

F1 The Movie' Wins the Academy Award for Best Sound

Featuring audio from practice sessions, qualifying races, and Grand Prix races, the film represents Apple's sports-media ambitions At Sunday night's Ac...

17/03/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Oracle's Mark Ramberg on the Future of Live Broadcast in the Cloud with OCI

Live broadcast has always been one of the most demanding environments in media a...

17/03/2026

DIRECTV Adds Multiview and Sports Central Features Ahead of NCAA Tournament

DirecTV is introducing several new viewing features, including a multi-screen March Madness Mix channel and an updated Sports Central mobile app hub, ahead of...

17/03/2026

Deltatre and ATP Media Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Graphics/Data Partnership

Deltatre has announced a multi-year partnership with ATP Media, the media arm of the ATP Tour, covering broadcast graphics, data, and production across the 2026...

17/03/2026

Detroit Pistons, Scripps Sports To Air Five Games Free Over the Air on TV-20 Detroit

The Detroit Pistons have announced a third consecutive season partnering with Sc...

17/03/2026

How Fresh Finds Africa Propelled Rapper Zaylevelten to a Breakout Year

Fresh Finds Africa spotlights emerging artists and movements across the continent and its global diaspora, with listeners tuning in to discover new Afro-forward...

17/03/2026

Spotify Sparked Viral Moments at G27: genie fest, Driving the Discovery of Thai Rock

Last month, more than 60,000 fans piled into Bangkok's Rajamangala National ...

17/03/2026

Black Rooster Audio release VWB-1X

Vintage-inspired channel strip joins line-up Black Rooster Audio's latest plug-in provides an all-in-one mixing tool inspired by classic analogue consol...

17/03/2026

Accentize unveil dxSplit

Level and EQ voice, reverb and noise independently The latest plug-in to join Accentize's collection is said to take a new approach to dialogue processi...

17/03/2026

RF Spectrum Threat: OFCOM Survey

UHF radio mic & IEM bandwidth at risk Once again, the UHF bandwidth that is currently allocated to RF audio gear is at risk of being reassigned to high-spee...

17/03/2026

SGL Carbon hosts Bavaria's first pilot training course for prospective plant fire department squad leaders

Last Friday, the first Plant Fire Department Training Week in Bavaria successf...

17/03/2026

New campaign from NAATI and SBS CulturalConnnect highlights how we all deserve to be understood'

New campaign from NAATI and SBS CulturalConnnect highlights how we all deserve ...