Legendary baseball broadcaster Joe Garagiola died Wednesday, according to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team for which he held his last broadcasting job.
The Garagiola family also put out a statement, though it did not specify the immediate cause of death.
He was 90 years old.
Mr. Garagiola had a nine-year career in the major leagues after the years of World War II, playing catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series champions of 1946. But he was best-known as one of the most prominent broadcasters in the sport, his fame even spilling over into other fields of TV.
He went into broadcasting by doing Cardinals games on the radio in the 1950s, moving on to NBC baseball broadcasts, first in radio and then in television, going from doing the play-by-play man with Tony Kubek in the 1970s to being the color guy opposite Vin Scully in the 1980s.
Outside of baseball, he co-hosted the “Today” show for NBC in the early 1970s and sometimes guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on that network’s “The Tonight Show.” He also wrote three books and was a “personality” guest star on game shows throughout the 60s and 70s, known for his folksy and self-deprecating wit.
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He spent his last baseball years as color commentator for the Arizona Diamondbacks, where his son Joe Garagiola Jr. was general manager, from 1998 through his retirement in 2013. The Diamondbacks named the broadcast wing and TV booth at their stadium in his honor.
“Joe was so special to everyone at the D-backs and had an aura about him that you could feel the moment you met him,” team president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement Wednesday.
Mr. Garagiola is survived by his wife Audrie, sons Joe Jr. and Steve, daughter Gina Bridgeman, and eight grandchildren. According to the Diamondbacks, the funeral service will be in St. Louis with a memorial planned for a later date in Arizona.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of this amazing man who was not just beloved by those of us in his family, but to generations of baseball fans who he impacted during his eight decades in the game. Joe loved the game and passed that love onto family, his friends, his teammates, his listeners and everyone he came across as a player and broadcaster. His impact on the game, both on and off the field, will forever be felt.” the family said in a statement.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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