1. Frank Carl Beckmann was a German-born American broadcaster and talk radio host on WJR in Detroit, Michigan.
23 Facts About Frank Beckmann
1. 2.
Frank Beckmann was the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Michigan football from 1981 to 2013.
3.
Frank Beckmann's family immigrated to the United States when he was two years old and settled in east Detroit.
4.
Frank Beckmann then studied broadcast journalism at Macomb Community College for two years.
5.
Frank Beckmann started his broadcasting career in 1969, working by himself as news staff in Alpena.
6.
Frank Beckmann was then employed by WKNR in Dearborn and WDRQ in Detroit for a brief period, before becoming part of WJR in 1972.
7.
Frank Beckmann was recognized with commendation for "Best Coverage of a Single News Event" while covering the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.
8.
Frank Beckmann moved to the sports department of WJR by 1975, and eventually became its sports director.
9.
Frank Beckmann became part of the radio team of the Detroit Lions in 1979, initially serving as an analyst for Bob Reynolds.
10.
Frank Beckmann went on to succeed Reynolds as the team's play-by-play voice when the latter retired four years later.
11.
Frank Beckmann replaced Bob Ufer as the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Michigan football in 1981, when the latter stepped down for health reasons.
12.
Frank Beckmann ultimately served in that capacity until 2013, and oversaw the team's national championship in 1997.
13.
Frank Beckmann was an announcer for the Detroit Tigers from 1995 to 2003.
14.
Frank Beckmann hosted Sportswrap, an all-sports talk show he created in 1981 that was one of the first of its kind.
15.
Frank Beckmann hosted The Frank Beckmann Show, a daily late-morning talk show on WJR in Detroit, from 2004 till he retired.
16.
Frank Beckmann told his listeners on January 13,2021, that he would retire on March 26.
17.
In 2011, Frank Beckmann considered a campaign for the United States Senate seat occupied by Sen.
18.
Frank Beckmann died in the evening on February 12,2022, in hospice care at Clarkston, Oakland County, Michigan.
19.
Frank Beckmann was 72, had multiple strokes and suffered from vascular dementia prior to his death.
20.
Frank Beckmann was honored with "Top Michigan Sportscaster" awards by the Associated Press and United Press International and "Michigan Sportscaster of the Year" by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
21.
Frank Beckmann won the 2010 Detroit Sports Media Association Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting and received the award in a special halftime press box ceremony at the University of Michigan football stadium.
22.
Frank Beckmann was named a Lifetime Member of the Detroit Sports Media Association.
23.
Frank Beckmann was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 for his accomplishments in sports broadcasting.