The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced their finalists for the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award. Given each year to a broadcaster for “major contributions to baseball,” the eight Ford C. Frick Award finalists are: Buddy Blattner, Joe Buck, Dave Campbell, Dizzy Dean, Don Drysdale, Ernesto Jerez, Al Michaels, and Dan Shulman.
- Blattner – 26 seasons as a broadcaster, beginning while he was a player in the 1940s. Became widely known for his work alongside Dizzy Dean on national games for ABC and CBS from 1953-59.
- Buck – 36 years behind the mic in Major League Baseball and still going strong. Buck has spent the last quarter-century with FOX, calling 19 World Series. Earlier this year, Buck was announced as the Pete Rozelle Award recipient, earning him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His father Jack Buck was the 1987 Frick winner.
- Campbell – Began his broadcast tenure in 1978, a few years after retiring from his playing career. Campbell worked as an announcer for the Giants, Padres and Rockies, also spending nearly two decades with ESPN.
- Dean – A Hall of Fame pitching career preceded his 24 years as a broadcaster. Dean’s candid opinions and wit helped him become a popular personality behind the mic, notably spending 11 years with CBS for their Game of the Week telecast.
- Drysdale – Elected to Cooperstown in 1984 with 209 wins as a starting pitcher, his 23-year broadcasting career began in 1970. Drysdale called games for the Expos, Rangers, Angels, White Sox, and Dodgers, including six years alongside arguably the best broadcaster in baseball history, Vin Scully.
- Jerez – 26 years as a broadcaster and counting. Jerez joined ESPN Deportes in 1995 where he continues to call Sunday Night Baseball games for The Worldwide Leader.
- Michaels – Prior to winning the Pete Rozelle Award in 2013, Michaels spent a quarter-century as a baseball broadcaster from 1971-1995. Michaels called seven World Series during his career for ABC, also serving as an announcer for the Reds and Giants.
- Shulman – His impressive tenure as a Major League Baseball announcer included work for his hometown Blue Jays from 1995-2001, rejoining their coverage in 2016. Shulman also spent more than two decades with ESPN and served as the voice of Sunday Night Baseball from 2011-2017.
The winner of the Ford C. Frick Award will be announced Dec. 9, and honored during Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown next July 24. Ken Harrelson, the 2020 Frick winner will also be honored during next summer’s Hall of Fame weekend after this year’s ceremonies were canceled because of COVID-19.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
