Mel Allen Biography
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions. Years after his death, he is still promoted as having been “The Voice of the Yankees.
” In his later years, he gained a second professional life as the first host of This Week in Baseball. In perhaps the most notable moment of his distinguished career, Allen called Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, in which Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off home run off Ralph Terry to win the fall classic for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is the only walk-off home run ever to occur in a Game 7 of a World Series.
10 Quick Facts About Mel Allen
- Name: Mel Allen
- Age: 83 at time of his death
- Birthday: Not Available
- Zodiac Sign: Not Available
- Height: Average
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Sportscaster
- Marital Status: Not Known
- Salary: Under Review
- Net worth: Under Review
Mel Allen Age
Mel Allen an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees was born February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996.
Mel Allen Height
Information concerning his height is still under research and will soon be updated immediately we come across details about his height.
Mel Allen Family
Allen was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Kappa Nu fraternity as an undergraduate. During his time at Alabama, Israel served as the public address announcer for Alabama Crimson Tide football games. In 1933, when the station manager or sports director of Birmingham’s radio station WBRC asked Alabama coach Frank Thomas to recommend a new play-by-play announcer, he suggested Allen. His first broadcast was Alabama’s home opener that year, against the Tulane Green Wave.
Mel Allen Education
Allen graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1937. Shortly after graduating, Allen took a train to New York City for a week’s vacation. While on that week’s vacation, he auditioned for a staff announcer’s position at the CBS Radio Network.
Mel Allen Photo
Mel Allen Career
Baseball
Allen was used as a color commentator for CBS’s radio broadcast of the 1938 World Series. This led Wheaties to tap him to replace Arch McDonald as the voice of the Washington Senators for the 1939 season, who was moving on to New York as the first full-time radio voice of both the Yankees and the New York Giants for their home games. Senators’ owner Clark Griffith wanted Walter Johnson, a former Senators pitcher, instead of Allen, and Wheaties relented.
In June 1939, Garnett Marks, McDonald’s partner on Yankee broadcasts, twice mispronounced Ivory Soap, the Yankees’ sponsor at the time, as “Ovary Soap.” He was fired, and Allen was tapped to replace him. McDonald himself went back to Washington after only one season, and Allen became the Yankees’ and Giants’ lead announcer, doing double duty for both teams because only their home games were broadcast at that time.
He periodically recounted an anecdote that occurred during his first full season (1940) as Yankee play-by-play man. Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig had been forced to retire the year before after having been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal illness. Speaking with Allen in the Yankee dugout, Gehrig told him “Mel, I never got a chance to listen to your games before because I was playing every day. But I want you to know they’re the only thing that keeps me going.” Allen broke down in tears after Gehrig departed.
Allen’s stint with the Yankees and Giants was interrupted in 1941 when no sponsor could be found and both teams went off the air, but the broadcasts resumed in 1942. Allen was the voice of both the Yankees and the Giants until 1943, when he entered the United States Army during World War II, broadcasting on The Army Hour and Armed Forces Radio.
After the war, Allen called Yankee games exclusively. By this time, road games were added to the broadcast schedule. Before long Allen and the Yankees were fused in the public consciousness, an association strengthened by the team’s frequent World Series appearances. Allen eventually called 22 World Series on radio or television, including all but one in the 17-year stretch between 1947 and 1963. He also called 24 All-Star Games.
In 1952 Allen was one of the first three celebrities spoofed in the just-created Mad satirical comic book. In the second issue, Allen, Giants manager Leo Durocher and Hall of Fame Yankee catcher Yogi Berra were all caricatured in a baseball story, “Hex!”, illustrated by Jack Davis. His likeness was also licensed by Standard Comics for a two-issue “Mel Allen’s Sports Comics” series between 1949 and 1950.
After Russ Hodges departed from the Yankee booth to become the longtime voice of the New York (and starting in 1958, San Francisco) Giants, the young Curt Gowdy replaced him as Allen’s broadcast partner in 1949 & 1950, having been brought in from Oklahoma City after winning a national audition. Gowdy, originally from Wyoming, credited Mel Allen’s mentoring as a big factor in his own success as a broadcaster and became the voice of the Boston Red Sox from 1951 to 1965. Red Barber, the former Brooklyn Dodgers announcer who had served as Allen’s crosstown rival and frequent World Series broadcast partner, joined the Yankees’ booth in 1954 and teamed with Allen until the latter’s dismissal a decade later.
Among Allen’s many catchphrases were “Hello there, everybody!” to start a game, “How a-bout that?!” on outstanding Yankee plays, “There’s a drive, hit deep to right. That ball is go-ing, go-ing, gonnne!!” for Yankee home runs, for full counts, “Three and two. What’ll he do?” and after a robust Yankee swing and miss, “He took a good cut!”
Allen lost his voice late in the fourth and last game of the 1963 World Series, in which the Dodgers swept the Yankees in four games and their longtime announcer, Vin Scully, paired with Allen on the national telecast, spontaneously took over from him for the end of the game after he could no longer talk, telling him soothingly, “That’s all right, Mel.” (Scully had announced the first half of the game, and Allen had begun to announce the second half.)
Mel Allen Net Worth
Information concerning his net worth is still under research and will soon be updated immediately we come across details about his net worth.
Mel Allen Contacts
- Youtube
- Tiktok
- Website
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