Ernie Harwell Biography Quotes 15 Report mistakes

Early Life and First Steps in Journalism
Ernie Harwell was born on January 25, 1918, in Washington, Georgia, and grew up captivated by baseball and storytelling. As a boy he gravitated to newspapers and radio, learning how words and voice could carry the game beyond the ballpark. He began working in sports media while still young, writing and then moving behind the microphone. That early blend of journalism and broadcasting shaped the meticulous preparation and conversational warmth that became his trademarks. His Southern cadence, instilled in Georgia, never left him and later helped him stand out in northern markets.

From the Atlanta Crackers to the Dodgers
Harwell made his professional broadcasting name with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, a renowned minor league club that was a training ground for big-league talent on and off the field. In 1948, in one of the sport's most storied transactions, the Brooklyn Dodgers acquired him from the Crackers in exchange for catcher Cliff Dapper so he could fill in when Red Barber was sidelined by illness. The swap made Harwell the first (and still singularly famous) broadcaster traded for a player. Working alongside Dodgers voices like Barber and Connie Desmond, he learned the standards of precision, humility, and rhythm that would guide him for the rest of his career.

National League Years and Move to Baltimore
Harwell joined the New York Giants radio team in 1950, sharing the New York stage with Russ Hodges and immersing himself in the game's biggest moments and personalities. He also handled national assignments, including postseason and All-Star coverage for network radio and television, experiences that sensitized him to the different demands of local and national audiences. When the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles in 1954, Harwell became a central voice of a growing baseball town. Those seasons in Baltimore further broadened his perspective and honed his ability to teach the game on air without slowing its pace.

Voice of the Detroit Tigers
In 1960, Harwell arrived in Detroit, beginning the long association that made him one of the most beloved figures in Michigan sports history. Calling Tigers games through eras of triumph and struggle, he narrated the 1968 championship season and the exuberant run to the 1984 title for generations of families across the Great Lakes. Detroit listeners formed daily rituals around his play-by-play, first on television and increasingly on radio. He partnered with colleagues who became part of the region's soundscape, notably Ray Lane in the late 1960s and early 1970s and then Paul Carey, with whom he shared the booth for nearly two decades on WJR. The bond between Harwell and the city deepened with every opening day, pennant chase, and summer evening.

Style, Signature Phrases, and Working Partnerships
Harwell's appeal rested on simplicity, kindness, and a reporter's eye. He painted the scene with small, telling details: the way shadows crept across the infield, a fan's homemade sign in the bleachers, the pitcher tugging at his cap. He favored clarity over cleverness, letting the game breathe. Yet his broadcasts were studded with phrases that fans came to cherish. A called third strike could be "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by", a line he borrowed from poet Sam Walter Foss. A home run might be "That ball is looooong gone!" A crisp double play became "Two for the price of one". With partners like Carey, and later Jim Price, he kept the conversation easy and inclusive, welcoming newcomers without talking down to longtime fans. On television he shared space with Detroit greats like George Kell and Al Kaline as they transitioned from the field to the booth, strengthening his ties to the franchise's history.

Setback, Return, and Later Seasons
After the 1991 season, a front-office decision led by team president Bo Schembechler ended Harwell's Tigers tenure, a move that drew loud public protest across Michigan and beyond. He spent the 1992 season calling games for the California Angels, demonstrating that his steady voice resonated anywhere baseball was played. When Mike Ilitch purchased the Tigers, Harwell was invited back for 1993, a homecoming welcomed by fans who had never accepted his departure. He continued through the team's transition from Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park, guiding listeners as the ballclub moved into a new era. In his final years on air, he kept the same even tone, never forcing drama, always trusting the game to supply it.

Honors, Writing, and Community Work
Harwell received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, the profession's highest honor, recognizing his excellence and influence as a broadcaster. He joined halls of fame in Michigan and nationally for sportscasters and sportswriters, and a statue in his likeness was later placed at Comerica Park. Beyond the booth, he wrote columns and books about baseball and faith, and he assembled a renowned trove of baseball literature and memorabilia that became the Ernie Harwell Sports Collection at the Detroit Public Library, a resource for scholars and fans. He appeared as himself in Detroit-centered projects and lent his name and time to charitable causes, reflecting a sense of gratitude that he often credited to his family and to the listeners who let him keep them company each summer. His marriage to Lulu, a steadfast presence in his life, anchored him through the demands of travel and the constancy of a 162-game season.

Final Years and Legacy
In 2009, Harwell announced that he had been diagnosed with an incurable bile duct cancer. True to form, he addressed fans directly at Comerica Park, thanking them for decades of companionship rather than asking for anything in return. He passed away on May 4, 2010, at age 92 in Michigan, leaving behind a legacy that bridged baseball's radio golden age and the modern media era. Colleagues remembered a generous mentor; players and managers recalled a fair chronicler; listeners mourned a friend whose voice had narrated the seasons of their lives. The people woven through his story, partners like Paul Carey and Jim Price, executives like Mike Ilitch who brought him back, peers from Red Barber and Connie Desmond to Russ Hodges, and Detroit icons such as Al Kaline and George Kell, helped shape a career that in turn shaped the way a region hears baseball. Ernie Harwell's durability, grace, and love of the game made him more than a celebrity. He was the companion of a city's summers, a careful reporter with a poet's touch, and a reminder that the best broadcasting invites the audience into something larger than a score.

Our collection contains 15 quotes who is written by Ernie, under the main topics: Sports - Life - Work Ethic - Work - Family.