Jerry Howarth was born on March 12,1946 and is an American Canadian former sports commentator, best known as the radio play-by-play voice of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1981 through the 2017 season.
17 Facts About Jerry Howarth
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Jerry Howarth graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Santa Clara in 1968, then served two years as an officer in the US Army.
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In 1976, Jerry Howarth became the play-by-play voice of the Salt Lake City Gulls, of the Pacific Coast League.
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Jerry Howarth was then hired as the Assistant General Manager and performed double duty as play-by-play man for the Utah Pros of the short-lived Western Basketball Association.
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Jerry Howarth was then hired as Group Sales Director by the NBA's Utah Jazz before joining KWMS radio in Salt Lake as the station's sports talk show host.
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Jerry Howarth worked part of the 1981 Blue Jays season as a commentator along with Early Wynn for CJCL, part of the Hewpax Sports Network that owned the Jays' radio rights at the time.
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Jerry Howarth returned to the booth a week later only to miss more games when he was hospitalized and had a brain tumour removed.
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Jerry Howarth was diagnosed with brain cancer, but continued to broadcast with Howarth during home games, taking a few innings off to rest during these games.
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Jerry Howarth continued to be the lead voice of the Toronto Blue Jays with Ashby serving as game analyst, until the end of the 2012 season.
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Jerry Howarth next worked alongside former Jays pitcher and World Series champion Jack Morris during the 2013 season.
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Jerry Howarth began the practice after receiving a letter from a listener who was a member of a First Nation group, whose writer explained that the names were offensive.
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Jerry Howarth felt the letter was written "in such a loving, kind way" and that it had "touched [his] heart", which led him to respect their wishes.
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On November 16,2016, it was announced that Jerry Howarth had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and that he would undergo surgery in the following week to remove a small tumor from his prostate.
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For health reasons, Jerry Howarth decided to retire from broadcasting in February 2018.
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Jerry Howarth, who became a Canadian citizen in 1994, lives in Toronto with his wife Mary.
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Jerry Howarth coached high school basketball for 20 years at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
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Jerry Howarth is known for his active support and fund raising efforts on behalf of the Special Olympics.