
The baseball world lost a legend on January 16th, when Bob Uecker passed away at the age of 90. He lived an incredible life and even had a small connection with Concordia University Wisconsin. Today, we look back at his illustrious career.
Early Life
Bob Uecker was born on January 26, 1934, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was raised by his parents, August and Mary Uecker, and had two younger sisters. In 1954, at 20 years old, Uecker joined the United States Army, where he eventually attained the rank of corporal. He didn’t want to go overseas, so he played military baseball with soldiers who had played in college or the minor leagues. He hadn’t been a part of either at the time so he claimed that he played at Marquette. “Marquette didn’t have a team, but they never checked,” Uecker said. He ended up playing at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. His baseball career continued at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he played with future St. Louis Cardinals teammate Dick Groat
Playing Career
In 1956, after serving in the US Army, Uecker signed a professional baseball contract with his hometown team, the Milwaukee Braves. He started in the minor leagues at the “C” level. For reference, the current minor leagues are composed of Rookie, Single-A (A), High-A (A+), Double-A (AA), and Triple-A (AAA). The “C” level of minor league baseball was removed after the 1962 season. Uecker played at this level from 1956-1958, which was when his best career stats were. In 273 games over those three seasons, he collected 44 doubles, 10 triples, 52 home runs, and 190 RBI’s. His slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) was .291/.408/.534 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .943. His career in Major League Baseball spanned six seasons from 1962-1967, mostly as a backup catcher. He played for the Milwaukee Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves. He was never a great hitter in the major leagues, but he ended up with 146 hits, 22 doubles, 14 home runs, and 74 RBIs. He won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964, although he did not appear in the series. His best season came in 1966 with the Phillies, where he hit 7 home runs and drove in 30 runs in 78 games. While his hitting was lackluster, he was seen as a good defender as a catcher. He committed very few errors, which resulted in a career .981 fielding percentage.
Broadcasting
His love for baseball continued when he became a broadcaster for WSB-TV in Atlanta, as a part of the Braves booth. He then became the radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971. In the early 70’s, Uecker also commentated for the UWM Panthers Football and Men’s Basketball teams while it was the baseball offseason. He locally called the 1982 MLB World Series on WISN in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, that was the only World Series the Brewers have ever played in, to this point. They lost the series in seven games to Uecker’s former team, the St. Louis Cardinals. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he commentated multiple MLB All-Star and playoff games for ABC. He did the same during the 1990s, but instead for NBC. During that time, he teamed up with another broadcasting legend, Bob Costas, and a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan, to call games. His most well-known phrase as a broadcaster was “Get up! Get up! Get outta here! Gone!” which he would say when a Brewers player hit a home run. Uecker called games for the Brewers through the 2024 season, but his final broadcast ended in heartbreaking fashion. The New York Mets scored four runs in the 9th inning to stun the Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series. After the game ended, Uecker said: “I’m telling you, that one had some sting on it.” It was a painful end to a legendary broadcasting career.
Humor
Bob Uecker was known to be a very funny person. He made about 100 guest appearances on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. It was Carson who gave Uecker the nickname “Mr. Baseball.” He went on to host Saturday Night Live on October 13, 1984, during its 10th season. During the 1980s, Uecker appeared in a series of Miller Lite commercials. In one of these commercials, he was watching a baseball game but an usher told him he was in the wrong seat. In what became another famous catchphrase, Uecker replied, “I must be in the front row.” It turned out that his seat was in the nosebleed section. There is now a statue of Uecker in the last row of section 422 at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The Brewers sell obstructed view seats for $1 each near the statue.
Acting
Uecker appeared in multiple TV shows and movies throughout his life. He played the character of George Owens, a father and sportswriter, on the sitcom Mr. Belvedere. This show ran for six seasons and had 117 total episodes from 1985-1990. Uecker also played the character of a broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians, Harry Doyle, in the Major League trilogy. A famous catchphrase from this movie trilogy is when he said “Juuust a bit outside” after a very wild pitch.
Honors
- Named the Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year five separate times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He was also inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2011.
- Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2001.
- Received the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003, which is annually given to a broadcaster for “major contributions to baseball.”
- In 2005, the Brewers placed a number 50 in their “Ring of Honor” to celebrate Uecker’s 50th year in professional baseball.
- His name was added to the Brewers “Wall of Honor” inside of American Family Field in 2009.
- Uecker also has a statue outside of American Family Field, which was completed in 2012.
- September 25, 2021 was declared Bob Uecker Day to celebrate his 50 years of broadcasting Brewers games.
CUW Connection
Bob Uecker was a part owner of the Lakeshore Chinooks, a college summer team in Mequon. They play their home games at Kapco Park, which is the same field that the CUW Baseball team uses. CUW’s partnership with the Lakeshore Chinooks brought Bob Uecker to campus multiple times over the years.
Conclusion
Bob Uecker gave Brewers fans so many memories throughout his career. Some CUW students mentioned their favorite memories of the late broadcaster. One student said, “I remember sitting in my backyard during the summer and listening to him.” Another student remembered, “getting a ride home from golf practice and hearing him call Garrett Mitchell’s walk-off home run.” Bob Uecker was a baseball and Wisconsin legend, and he will truly be missed.
Austin Huber is a writer and blog manager for the CUW Beacon. He is a sophomore majoring in Sport and Entertainment Business and minoring in Sports Media.