Jack Buck

Who was Jack Buck?

John Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck's play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous Halls of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and National Radio Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

Buck was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, but moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area with his family in 1939. After graduating high school, Buck worked on large shipping boats that traveled the Great Lakes. Buck was drafted into the United States Army in June 1943, and later was awarded a Purple Heart as part of his service. After completion of his military service in 1946, Buck enrolled at, and graduated from, Ohio State University. Buck's early sportscasting career included work for the minor league affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1954, Buck was promoted to radio play-by-play of Cardinal games on KMOX, a position he maintained for nearly all of the next 47 years. He was known in St. Louis for his trademark phrase, "That's a winner!", said after Cardinals victories.