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Joe McConnell | |
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| Born | March 10, 1939 (1939-03-10) |
| Died | April 8, 2018 (2018-04-09) (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Sports announcer |
Joseph Fredrick McConnell (March 10, 1939 – April 8, 2018) was an Americansports announcer.
McConnell was born inRochester, Indiana, and grew up inGoodland, Indiana. He was a 1962 graduate ofFranklin College, and his broadcasting career began in 1962 at Purdue's campus radio station,WBAA. McConnell served as assistant sports information director at Purdue from 1965 to 1967.
McConnell's experience includes 23 seasons in theNational Football League as the voice of theDenver Broncos (1969),Minnesota Vikings (1971–76 and 1985–87),Chicago Bears[1] (1977–84),Indianapolis Colts (1992–94) andTennessee Oilers[2] (1997–98); seven seasons in theNational Basketball Association as the voice of thePhoenix Suns (1970–72) andIndiana Pacers[1] (1972–77); and seven seasons inMajor League Baseball as the voice of theMinnesota Twins (1978–79) andChicago White Sox (1980–84).[3] McConnell also spent five seasons (1991–95) as lead voice for theNBA Radio Network.
He has broadcast three Super Bowls, theNational Basketball Association andAmerican Basketball Association championships, theNBA All-Star Game and theAmerican League Championship Series. Additionally, McConnell has broadcastNorthwestern football (1988) andIndiana State (1978–79),DePaul (1984–88),Illinois (1987–88),Notre Dame (1987–88) and Northwestern men's basketball (1989–94).
Joe McConnell had most recently served for 15 seasons as play-by-play announcer forPurdue football, from 1995 to 2009.[4]
He was honored with the AP/UPI Play-by-Play Sportscaster of the Year Award five times and was the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year in 2000 and the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year in 1981.
In 2006, he received a nomination for the National Football Foundation's Chris Schenkel Award, presented to a college football broadcaster.[5] Upon his retirement, at halftime of his final broadcast of the game between Purdue and Indiana University on November 21, 2009, he was awarded theSagamore of the Wabash,[6] the highest award that the Indiana governor can bestow, award by GovernorMitch Daniels.
In 2017, McConnell's was elected to the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.[7]
McConnell died on April 8, 2018, inIndianapolis, Indiana, at age 79.[8]
Upon his retirement as the voice of the Boilermakers, Purdue Athletics named the visiting team radio booth at Ross-Ade Stadium for McConnell.[9]
| Preceded by | National radio play-by-play announcer,NBA Finals 1991–1995 | Succeeded by |
