24 Facts About Red Barber

Walter Lanier "Red" Barber was an American sports announcer and author.

Red Barber was a distant relative of poet Sidney Lanier and writer Thomas Lanier Williams.

Red Barber became WRUF's director and chief announcer and covered Florida Gators football games that autumn.

Red Barber called games from the stands of Cincinnati's renamed Crosley Field for the next five seasons.

In Brooklyn, Barber became an institution, widely admired for his folksy style.

Red Barber was appreciated by people concerned about Brooklyn's reputation as a land of "dees" and "dems".

Those other announcers are describing the flight of the ball but Red Barber was describing the outfielder in this famous call from Game 6 of the 1947 World Series.

In Game 4 of that same 1947 Series, Red Barber memorably described Cookie Lavagetto's ninth-inning hit to break up Bill Bevens' no-hitter and win the game at once:.

Red Barber called Dodgers broadcasts over New York radio station WHN at 1050 on the AM dial, teaming with Al Helfer from 1939 to 1941, followed by Alan Hale in 1942 and Connie Desmond beginning in 1943.

Red Barber recruited the Fordham University graduate Vin Scully for CBS football coverage, and eventually invited him into the Dodgers' broadcast booth to succeed Harwell in 1950 after the latter's departure for the crosstown New York Giants.

Red Barber was the first person outside the team's board of directors to be told by Branch Rickey that the Dodgers had begun the process of racial desegregation in baseball, which led to signing Jackie Robinson as the first black player in the major leagues after the 1880s.

Red Barber arrived home and informed his wife of his decision to quit that very night.

Red Barber convinced him that there was no need to quit then, and a few martinis into the evening, he said he would try.

Barber wanted a larger fee than was offered by Gillette and when Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley refused to back him, Barber declined to work the Series and Vin Scully partnered with Allen on the telecasts instead.

Some fans and critics found this later, more restrained Red Barber to be dull, especially in contrast with Mel Allen's dramatic, emotive style.

Red Barber asked the TV cameras to pan the empty stands as he commented on the low attendance.

Red Barber wrote several books, including his autobiography, Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat; contributed to occasional sports documentary programs on radio and television, including Ken Burns' documentary Baseball; and from 1981 until his death made weekly contributions to National Public Radio's Morning Edition program.

Each Friday Red Barber, speaking from his home in Tallahassee, Florida, would talk with host Bob Edwards, usually about sports but frequently about other topics, including the flora around his home.

In 1978, Barber joined former colleague Mel Allen to become the first broadcasters to receive the Ford C Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

In 1984, Red Barber was part of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame's inaugural class which included sportscasting legends Don Dunphy, Ted Husing, Bill Stern and Graham McNamee.

Red Barber was given a George Polk Award in 1985 and a Peabody Award in 1990 for his NPR broadcasts, and in 1995 he was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

In 1994, two years after his death, Red Barber was seen several times throughout the Ken Burns series Baseball as he recounted memorable episodes of baseball history, especially of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Red Barber is mentioned in "The Catbird Seat", a 1942 short story by James Thurber.

In 1957, Barber appeared as himself in "Hillbilly Whiz", a third-season episode of The Phil Silvers Show.