1987 Ford C. Frick Award Winner Jack Buck

The 1987 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award was Jack Buck, a mainstay in the Cardinals broadcast booth since 1954 and longtime sports director for KMOX radio.

A graduate of Ohio State University, Buck got his baptism behind the microphone during his collegiate days by doing OSU basketball and football, after which he became the baseball announcer for Columbus (1950-51) and Rochester (1953), both Cardinals farm clubs.

Rochester General Manager Bing Devine was so impressed that he recommended Buck to the big club in 1954 as color man, sharing the booth with Harry Caray, the play-by-play announcer.

Upon Caray's departure in 1970, Buck became the principal announcer and he filled this role through the end of his career with the exception of a one-year hiatus in 1976 when he hosted NBC's Grandstand.

The native of Holyoke, Mass., was inducted into the Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. Buck also distinguished himself in other sports, including broadcasts of the Super Bowl in 1970 and from 1978 through 1984. He also received national acclaim for his work on CBS radio and television.

Buck passed away on June 18, 2002.