For young broadcasters, there might not be a better example of “trial by fire” than the story of France Laux.

Laux was hired by Tulsa, Okla., station KVOO to call the opening game of the 1927 World Series 50 minutes before the game, but the story only gets stranger from there. Laux had to be tracked down in his hometown of Bristow, Okla., and transported back to Tulsa – a 45-mile drive. Laux arrived at the studio 90 seconds before opening pitch, and broadcast the game from ticker tape updates.

“What transpired over the next three hours was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” Laux would later say. That day marked his first time on-air but certainly not the last. Years later, he would come to be known as the voice of sports in St. Louis.

A former Army pilot, insurance broker and college football referee, Laux received such favorable feedback of his hectic debut that KVOO hired him to be its full-time broadcaster. He also called college football games for Oklahoma and Tulsa Universities until 1929, when St. Louis station KMOX offered him a 30-day trial.

Laux ended up on the KMOX airwaves for several decades and became an icon in the Gateway to the West. He took over ownership of calling both Cardinals and Browns games, and was noted for being the only voice that listeners heard over the course of a doubleheader. His work extended well past the diamond, as his voice was heard on just about any local sporting event imaginable, from basketball to wrestling to Notre Dame football.