Baseball icon, Brewers announcer, comedian dies at age 90

On By Littum

For a backup catcher with limited physical talent, Bob Uecker enjoyed a larger-than-life career in baseball and beyond—largely because of an uncanny ability to laugh at himself.

Uecker, a baseball icon, TV and movie funnyman and Hall of Famer Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer, died Thursday at age 90 after a “private battle with small cell lung cancer,” his family said in a statement.

“Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter of our hearts, and his passing is a deep loss,” the team said in a statement. “He was the heart and soul of Wisconsin and a dear friend. Bob loved people; his presence warmed every room and he had a way of welcoming us all into his world as if we were lifelong friends.”

Affectionately known as “Mr. Baseball,” Uecker hit just .200 for his career and played just six seasons. Still, his infectious personality made him a valued teammate in the clubhouse, even if he didn’t contribute much on the field.

Despite all the jokes about his playing career, Uecker was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, a team led by Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson that won the 1964 World Series.

“He brought joy to countless listeners through his wit, charisma and love of baseball, Milwaukee and all of Wisconsin, creating a legacy that will be forever cherished,” the Uecker family said in a statement Thursday. “While his contributions to the game are remarkable, it is his kindness, humility and love of family and friends that we will hold closest to our hearts.

Bob Uecker’s Extraordinary MLB Career

Uecker reached the majors in 1962 as a 28-year-old rookie catcher with his hometown Milwaukee Braves. He played two seasons in Milwaukee before being traded to the Cardinals in 1964. He was traded two more times before his career ended, to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965 and then back to the Braves, who by then in 1967 had moved to Atlanta.

Over 843 plate appearances in six seasons, Uecker hit .200/.293/.287 with 14 home runs and 74 RBI. Although attacking wasn’t his forte, he wasn’t very good defensively either. In 1967, he led the National League in both passed balls (27) and errors by a catcher (11).

To be fair, his frequent battery mate on that Braves team was knuckleballer Phil Niekro, who provided the basis for one of Uecker’s many memorable quotes.

When asked the secret to catching a curveball, Uecker matter-of-factly replied, “I wait until it stops rolling and pick it up.”

Uecker, Johnny Carson makes a funny couple

Not long after his playing career ended, Uecker joined the Brewers’ radio broadcast team, where his folksy style and self-deprecating humor made him an almost instant hit with fans. The 2024 season marked Uecker’s 54th as a Brewers broadcaster.

Uecker became known to millions from his appearances on NBC’s “Tonight Show” with host Johnny Carson. Beginning in 1971, he made approximately 100 guest appearances on the show, often cracking up Carson with his deadpan delivery.

“Sports companies would pay me not to support their products,” he once said.

Uecker’s popularity helps him get a leading role in the situation comedy “Mr. Belvedere”. Uecker played the role of sportswriter and family patriarch George Owens on the show, which ran on ABC television from 1985 to 1990.

“I have to be in the front row!”

Uecker’s personality also made him a perfect pitchman in a series of wildly popular Miller Lite beer commercials starting in the 1980s.

Among the ads’ stable of current and former sports stars, Uecker stood out for his comedic timing and ability to deliver iconic lines.

Perhaps the most famous came when he is seen at a ballpark watching a baseball game. When an officer approaches and asks him to move out of his seat, Uecker excitedly exclaims, “I have to be in the front row!”

However, he turns out not to be quite as important as he thinks, and finds himself in perhaps the worst seat in the stadium, far away from the action. As a result, a new term for the so-called nosebleed section of a stadium was born: “Uecker seats.”

In fact, a plaque and life-size figure of Uecker was placed on the last row of section 422 at Milwaukee’s American Family Field (then Miller Park) in 2014 in memory.

‘Just a little outside’

Uecker continued to broadcast Brewers games even as he expanded his portfolio as an actor.

Occasionally the two merged into one.

Uecker was cast as baseball play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle in the 1989 film “Major League,” giving an over-the-top performance that was largely ad-libbed.

Among his memorable lines: “Heywood smashes one against South America!”

And after an incredibly wild pitch that was almost impossible for the catcher to catch: “Jussssst a little outside!”

Uecker was so popular in the role that he returned five years later to reprise the role in 1994’s “Major League 2” and again in 1998’s “Major League: Back to the Minors.”

In addition to many television guest appearances and voiceover cameos as himself, Uecker hosted a syndicated sports blooper show called “Bob Uecker’s Wacky World of Sports” that ran from 1985-96, and another called “Bob Uecker’s War of the Stars.”

‘Get up! Get out of here! Away!’

At the center of everything, baseball was still the sun around which Uecker revolved.

He enjoyed being on the ball field and he was dedicated in his preparation for the game.

In addition to his duties with the Brewers, Uecker was also part of ABC’s “Monday Night Baseball” broadcast team in the 1970s and early ’80s, along with host Warner Wolf and play-by-play announcer Bob Prince.

In the 1990s, he moved to NBC and teamed up with play-by-play man Bob Costas and analyst Joe Morgan.

Although he began reducing the number of games he called for the Brewers in 2014 due to health issues, he continued through the 2024 season, his 54th in a row with the club.

With his signature home run call of “Get up! Get out here! Gone!” Uecker was named Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year five times by the National Sports Media Association. He was later inducted into the organization’s hall of fame in 2011.

And in perhaps the ultimate irony, Robert Eugene Uecker—a .200 career hitter with 14 home runs—was inducted into Cooperstown in 2003 when he received Ford Frick Awardis awarded annually to a broadcaster by the Baseball Hall of Fame for “major contributions to baseball.”

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