One day, many years ago, at Wrigley Field, Mike North pitched a radio executive that Chicago should have an all-sports radio station. North wasn’t there covering a Cubs game but he was working.
“It was unbelievable,” said North. “I sold hot dogs. I owned my own stand and worked as a vendor.”
Eventually, that conversation led to the creation of 670 The Score in Chicago and ultimately North traded in that hot dog vendors box for a microphone and embarked on a highly successful career as a sports radio host…and it’s a career that’s still going as he nears the age of 72.
“This is going to be my 32nd year in the business,” said North who does a weekly gambling show with Carmen DeFalco called “The Odds Couple” on ESPN 1000 in Chicago.
North was a cornerstone of 670 The Score from 1992 to 2008 and also went on to host a morning show with Andy Furman on Fox Sports Radio until 2016.
Then came retirement, but North really wasn’t ready to call it a career.
“When I retired the first time, I wasn’t ready,” said North. “I thought I was and I wasn’t and I’m still not ready.”
Today, North has a minority interest in the podcast website “Barroom Network” where he also hosts podcasts like “The Mike North Advantage” and “Mike North’s Press Conference.”
Just like during his long run as a sports radio host when he was a writer while also doing some TV work at Comcast SportsNet Chicago and was doing Chicago Rush arena football games and DePaul college basketball games, North has his hands in a few things today.
“It’s nice,” said North. “It keeps me busy. “I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve done different types of jobs. That’s how you survive in this business. You have to keep one step ahead of the law and try to tailor yourself to where you’re going to be.”
North has enjoyed an extraordinary career in sports radio with more than three decades of work. He had a groundbreaking vision of what sports radio should sound like and he was a four-time talk host of the year.
What was his secret to success?
“I just think you gotta be honest,” said North. “I do the same thing that I did on the street corner when I was 14 with my buddies. I talk straight.”
And he’s still talking straight on his weekly gambling show and on his podcasts.
To North, age is just a number and if others from the world of sports and entertainment can still keep working into their 70’s, so can he.
“My idol is Mick Jagger so I keep myself fit,” said North. “I love people who are into the ages…he may be too old this guy. But, there’s always a Pete Caroll. There’s always a (Bill) Belichick. There’s always a Rick Pitino. There are people who are over 65-70 years old that can do the job…period…end of story. I can still do what I gotta do…I just don’t do it as frequently.”
North has enjoyed a versatile career that has seen him do a lot of things.
Is there anything left on his to-do list?
“I think I could do anything,” said North. “I think I could call play-by-play but I don’t think I’d ever be asked to do that. I think I could analyze football games. I think if I would have been more of the straight-ahead guy, I could have done that. My career has been great and it’s still going on. Everything I’ve done, as long as it’s with sports, I’ve loved and I love what I’m doing now.”
Mike North is living proof that if you love what you’re doing and you still have the passion for it, then you keep doing it…until someone takes that microphone away for good. In North’s case, that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon.
Peter Schwartz writes weekly sports radio features for Barrett Media. He has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades, and has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. Peter has also served as play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at DragonsRadio@aol.com.
