Known in entertainment circles as well as in the sports world, Bob Uecker passed away on Thursday, January 16, 2025, just 10 days ahead of his 91st birthday.

Born January 26, 1934, the Milwaukee-born catcher was drafted by his hometown Milwaukee Braves. He spent several seasons in the minor leagues, then made his Major League debut with the team in 1962.

Over the course of the next five years, he served mainly as a back-up catcher for the Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and eventually the Atlanta Braves (after the team had moved south) from 1962 to 1967. His only World Series ring as a player was earned with the Cardinals for the 1964 championship.

Uecker moved back to Milwaukee as the play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971. It was the beginning of a second career that was still going at the time of his passing.

His quick-witted comments and self-deprecating sense of humor endeared him to local fans and eventually national audiences.

A frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, he eventually was cast as George Owens on the sitcom Mr. Belvedere and as fictitious Cleveland Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle in the Major League movies.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame honored Uecker in 2003 with its Ford C. Frick Award for his broadcasting work.