Jim Irwin (sportscaster)
Jim Irwin | |
---|---|
Born | Linn Creek, Missouri, U.S. | February 7, 1934
Died | January 22, 2012 | (aged 77)
Alma mater | University of Missouri |
Occupation | Sportscaster |
Years active | 1969–1998 |
Jim Irwin (February 7, 1934 – January 22, 2012)[1] was an American sportscaster at WTMJ Radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known for being the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers for 30 years.
Career
[edit]Irwin worked with former Packer Lionel Aldridge, and was paired for 20 seasons with Super Bowl I hero Max McGee. Irwin also called Milwaukee Brewers baseball, Milwaukee Bucks basketball, and Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball games. He joined the Packers radio broadcasts as a color commentator in 1969 and assumed play by play duties in 1975, a position he held until his retirement after the 1998 season, along with morning sportscasting and commentary duties on WTMJ's morning program.[2] He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2003.[3] Irwin continued to contribute occasionally to WTMJ after he retired.
Prior to his longtime career as the voice of the Packers, Irwin began his broadcast career in 1964 as sports director at WLUK-TV in Green Bay.
Early life and death
[edit]He was born in Linn Creek, Missouri.[4] Irwin served in the U.S. Army in Korea and then enrolled at the University of Missouri, where he majored in speech.
Irwin died of complications from kidney cancer on January 22, 2012, at the age of 77.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ O'Connor Mortuary obituary
- ^ WTMJ website Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Christl, Cliff. "Jim Irwin". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Irwin, voice of the Packers, dies at 77, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Jan. 23, 2012)
- ^ Spofford, Mike. "Former Packers radio announcer Jim Irwin dies". Packers.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- 1934 births
- 2012 deaths
- American color commentators
- American radio sports announcers
- College basketball announcers in the United States
- College football announcers
- Deaths from kidney cancer
- Green Bay Packers announcers
- Major League Baseball broadcasters
- Military personnel from Missouri
- Milwaukee Brewers announcers
- Milwaukee Bucks announcers
- NBA broadcasters
- National Football League announcers
- People from Camden County, Missouri
- United States Army soldiers
- University of Missouri alumni
- Wisconsin Badgers football announcers
- Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
- American radio people stubs