Pat Foley | |
|---|---|
 Foley photographed on June 11, 2010 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) |
| Education | BS,Michigan State |
| Occupation | Play-by-play commentator |
| Years active | 1977–2022 |
| Employers | |
Pat Foley (born 1954) is an American retiredplay-by-play commentator forice hockey.
Born inGlenview, Illinois in 1954,[1] Pat Foley is the son of Mary and Bob Foley.[2] He is an alumnus ofLoyola Academy andMichigan State University, with aBachelor of Science intelecommunications from the latter.[1]
In 1964, Foley was allowed into the radio booth atWrigley Field and sat alongside announcersLou Boudreau andJack Quinlan. This sparked his interest inplay-by-play commentating.[2] After calling baseball and hockey games atMichigan State University, in 1977[3] he began his career inGrand Rapids, Michigan announcingminor league hockey games. His father would take the recordings of Foley atGrand Rapids Owls' games and pass them along toMichael Wirtz, brother ofBill Wirtz, owner of theChicago Blackhawks. This secured Foley a position at the company, and his first game was the nightStan Mikita's number was retired[2] in 1981.[1]
Foley worked for the Blackhawks as a play-by-play commentator from 1981 to 2006.[1] He was fired "amid a rift with [Blackhawks] management" in 2006.[4] Foley spent the2006–07 and2007–08 AHL seasons calling games for theChicago Wolves.[5] He returned to the Blackhawks in 2008 following the death of Bill Wirtz,[2] and partnered withEddie Olczyk.[1] On June 23, 2021, the Blackhawks announced via Twitter that the2021–22 NHL season would be Foley's final season calling games.[6] Foley explained his decision to retire, commenting, "I just don't have 82 in me anymore. That's a lot of games, and 82 is not for me. Will I never step behind a microphone again? Not saying that. But not full-time."[7] He called his final official game on April 14, 2022, after 39 years with the Blackhawks.[8]
Invited byNick Olczyk, the retired Foley joined him andBilly Jaffe in calling the2023 NHL Winter Classic atFenway Park on January 2, 2023.[9] He andBernie Federko were expected to call the2025 NHL Winter Classic atWrigley Field on December 31, 2024, for theSports USA Radio Network.[10]
Foley became renowned for his exclamation duringthe Blackhawks' game against the Minnesota North Stars for the1985 Stanley Cup playoffs. WhenMurray Bannerman "made a dramatic save on a breakaway, Foley cried out, 'BANNERRRMANNN!'" By 2014, Foley was still constantly asked to repeat the iconic outburst.[2]John McDonough described Foley as "synonymous with Blackhawks hockey [with a voice that] resonates loudly to our entire fan base."[5]
Foley wonEmmy Awards in 1991,[5] 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2015.[3] He was inducted into theChicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[1] On April 19, 2013,NBC Sports Chicago honored Foley for his 30th season with the Blackhawks.[3] In 2014, he received theFoster Hewitt Memorial Award[2] and entered theHockey Hall of Fame.[11] In 2019, theNational Sports Media Association named Foley the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year.[3]
Pat Foley to wrap 'fairy tale' career this week as team's longest-serving broadcaster
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