Bob Elson | |
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| Born | Robert Arthur Elson (1904-03-22)March 22, 1904 |
| Died | March 10, 1981(1981-03-10) (aged 76) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Chicago White Sox (1929–42 and 1946–70) Chicago Cubs (1929–42) Chicago Bears (1933–36) Chicago Cardinals (1933–36) Chicago Black Hawks (1934–40, 1945–55, 1972–75) Oakland Athletics (1971) |
| Genre | Play-by-play |
| Sport(s) | Major League Baseball National Football League National Hockey League |
Robert Arthur Elson (March 22, 1904 – March 10, 1981[1]) was a pioneering Americansportscaster and the radio voice ofMajor League Baseball'sChicago White Sox for the better part of four decades. Known as "The 'Ol Commander", Elson broadcast an estimated 5,000 major league games. In his prime, was among the leadingplay-by-play men in the sport. In 1979, he received theFord C. Frick Award from theNational Baseball Hall of Fame for his excellence and longevity in the industry.
Born inChicago, Elson broke into the broadcasting industry by accident. While vacationing inSt. Louis in 1928, he took a tour of radio stationKWK. A receptionist saw him among 40 men in line for an audition, and thought he was going to audition as well. He became a finalist, and was hired after a vote by listeners. A few days later, officials at Chicago'sWGN heard about Elson's victory and wondered what a Chicago native was doing broadcasting for a St. Louis station. They quickly hired him.
In 1929, Elson began calling all home games of theChicago Cubs andChicago White Sox. Such double duty would be impossible today, but in those days the Cubs and White Sox almost never played at home on the same day. They, like most teams, "re-created" away games in the studio using telegraphed messages from the ballpark rather than sending their broadcasting crew out on the road, to save money. Nationally, Elson called numerousWorld Series andAll-Star Games in the 1930s and 1940s, most often teaming withRed Barber onMutual radio.
Elson called radio broadcasts ofChicago Black Hawks hockey from 1934 to 1940 and again from 1945 to 1955, andChicago Bears andChicago Cardinals football from 1933 to 1936. He also called national broadcasts of pro and college football forMutual radio in the 1930s and 1940s. An article in the December 1940 issue ofRadio and Television Mirror identified Elson as the top football announcer for the network.[2]
In 1942, Elson enlisted in theUnited States Navy and served for four years inWorld War II, a stint that earned him the nickname "The Ol' Commander." None other than President and Commander-in-ChiefFranklin D. Roosevelt had him brought home to announce the1943 World Series. WhenMajor League Baseball began making annual films of the Fall Classic in 1943, Elson was chosen to narrate them, a role he filled through the 1948 campaign.
For 25 seasons (1946–70), Elson broadcast for the White Sox exclusively. He calledOakland Athletics games in 1971[3] before returning to Chicago, where he teamed withLloyd Pettit on Black Hawks radio broadcasts from 1972 to 1975.
Despite his long association with the White Sox, Elson was bypassed byNBC for a role on its national television broadcasts of the1959 World Series, which was the team's first Fall Classic since 1919 and would have been Elson's first since 1943.NBC Sports presidentTom Gallery, who had grown up with Elson in Chicago, was not enamored of his style and selected Sox television announcerJack Brickhouse instead. Elson re-created the series over White Sox radio flagshipWCFL.[4]
Elson was often described as "relaxed" on the air, not easily succumbing to emotion or hyperbole. Yet he left enough room for emotion while describing dramatic plays favorable to the home team. He was one of the first broadcasters to do on-field interviews. In later years, he felt uncomfortable with announcers who frequently criticized on-field performances, having grown up in an era when sportscasters frequently hung out with players and managers after games.[5]
Elson's style inspired that of several other baseball broadcasters who grew up in the Midwest, a list that included the Cubs'Jack Brickhouse,Bert Wilson,Gene Elston,Jack Quinlan, andMilo Hamilton (who was Elson's partner with the White Sox from 1961 to 1965), the St. Louis Cardinals'Harry Caray (who succeeded Elson in the White Sox' booth in 1971), the Philadelphia Phillies'Harry Kalas, the Milwaukee Brewers'Bob Uecker, and the Seattle Mariners'Dave Niehaus.
Elson's broadcasting achievements went beyond sports. His broadcasts from Chicago'sThe Pump Room restaurant brought him recognition as "the interviewer who drew secrets from celebrities in all fields."[1] For five years, he also didBob Elson on Board the Century, which (in contrast to the title) he broadcast fromLaSalle Street Station in Chicago. Elson caught celebrities for spontaneous interviews while they were in the station.[6] In a similar vein, he didBob Elson on the Flagships onKNX, interviewing people who were traveling onAmerican Airlines.[7]
Elson was co-host ofAn Hour With Elson and Anson, a daily variety program that began October 13, 1941, on WGN.[8]
Elson's wife, Jeanne, died in 1975.[9] Six years later, he died at 76 years of age as a result of a heart ailment. He had three children, a son and two daughters.[3]
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