For a backup catcher with limited physical talent, Bob Uecker enjoyed a larger-than-life career in baseball and beyond – due, in large part, to an uncanny ability to laugh at himself.
Uecker, a baseball icon, television and movie funnyman and Hall of Fame Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer, died Thursday at the age of 90, following 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 in our hearts, and his passing is a profound 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 all of us into his world as if we were lifelong friends.’
Known affectionately as ‘Mr. Baseball,’ Uecker hit just .200 for his career and played only six seasons. Yet his infectious personality made him a valued teammate in the clubhouse, even if he wasn’t contributing 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 World Series in 1964.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
“He brought joy to countless listeners through his wit, charisma, and love for baseball, Milwaukee, and all of Wisconsin, creating a legacy that will forever be cherished,’ the Uecker family said in a statement Thursday. ‘While his contributions to the game are noteworthy, it is his kindness, humility, and love for family and friends that we will hold closest to our hearts.
Bob Uecker’s undistinguished 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 twice more 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. While offense wasn’t his strong suit, 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 batterymate 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 knuckleball, Uecker replied matter-of-factly, ‘I wait until it stops rolling and go pick it up.’
Uecker, Johnny Carson make hilarious pairing
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 more from his appearances on NBC’s ‘Tonight Show’ with host Johnny Carson. Starting in 1971, he appeared approximately 100 times as a guest on the show, frequently cracking up Carson with his deadpan delivery.
‘Sporting goods companies would pay me not to endorse their products,’ he once quipped.
Uecker’s popularity help land him a starring 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 must be in the front row!’
Uecker’s personality also made him a perfect pitchman in a series of immensely popular beer commercials for Miller Lite starting in the 1980s.
Among the ads’ stable of current and former sports stars, Uecker stood out for his comedic timing and his ability to deliver iconic lines.
However, he turns out to be not 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 were placed on the last row of Section 422 in Milwaukee’s American Family Field (then Miller Park) in 2014 in commemoration.
‘Jussssst a bit outside’
Uecker continued to broadcast Brewers games, even as he was expanding 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 movie ‘Major League,’ giving an over-the-top performance that was largely ad-libbed.
Among his memorable lines: “Heywood crushes one towards South America!”
And after an incredibly wild pitch that was all but impossible for the catcher to grab: ‘Jussssst a bit 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 outta here! Gone!’
At the center of everything, baseball was still the sun around which Uecker revolved.
He relished being at the ballpark and he was dedicated in his pregame preparation.
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, teaming up with play-by-play man Bob Costas and analyst Joe Morgan.
Although he began to reduce the number of games he called for the Brewers in 2014 due to health issues, he continued through the 2024 season, his 54th consecutive with the club.
With his signature home run call of ‘Get up! Get outta 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 the Ford Frick Award, given out annually to a broadcaster by the Baseball Hall of Fame for ‘major contributions to baseball.’
“Bob was the genuine item: always the funniest person in any room he was in, and always an outstanding ambassador for our national pastime,’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. ‘We are grateful for this baseball life like no other, and we will never forget him.’
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.