The Milwaukee Brewers revealed on Monday the details of a public event to celebrate the memory of legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker, who served as the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers for 54 years.
Uecker died on Jan. 16 just shy of his 91st birthday of small cell lung cancer, a diagnosis kept secret from all but his closest inner circle.
The official “Celebration of Life” event will take place on Aug. 24 throughout the day as the Brewers take on the San Francisco Giants at 1:10 p.m. at American Family Field. Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and longtime close friend of Uecker, Bob Costas, will host a special pregame program on the field that will feature appearances by special guests and videos with rarely-seen content from Uecker’s storied life.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
“We continue to mourn Bob’s passing, but we feel his presence every day at the ballpark and in our lives,” Brewers President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger said in a statement.
Uecker began his career as broadcaster with the Brewers in 1971, the year after the team relocated from Seattle. He remained a vital and active part of the Brewers until what would be his final signoff in October.
Brewers players and coaches are wearing a patch on the sleeve of their jerseys throughout the season in remembrance of Uecker.
Uecker also worked as a national color commentator for ABC and NBC baseball telecasts. He had a major role in the popular movie Major League, parts of which were filmed in Milwaukee and at County Stadium, the Brewers’ home before American Family Field. (That’s the origin of his wry “juuust a bit outside” line.) He also starred in the ABC sitcom “Mr. Belvedere,” which aired from 1985 to 1990 and authored the humorous book Catcher in the Wry, which recounts his major league career. He appeared dozens of times on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” and was a longtime pitchman for Miller Lite.
He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2001 and two years later was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which is presented annually to a broadcaster for “major contributions to baseball.”
The Celebration of Life event “will offer all of us an opportunity to come together to celebrate Bob’s life and re-live the countless, unforgettable memories he created so effortlessly,” Schlesinger added.
Tributes to “Ueck” will be featured throughout the game-day experience and will include:
- An expansive pregame program hosted by Costas featuring rare video content and appearances by special guests connected to Uecker throughout his lifetime
- A lapel pin featuring the Uecker uniform patch design – available only on this date and not for sale – distributed to all fans in attendance
- The use of baseballs and bases that feature a Uecker Celebration logo
- The airing of scoreboard features throughout breaks in the game
- 50-50 Raffle proceeds benefitting three charities supported by Uecker: Wounded Warrior Project, The ALS Association and the Medical College of Wisconsin Bob Uecker Chair for Cancer Research.
More special initiatives connected to the Celebration of Life will be announced in the coming weeks, while other honors and activities will be unveiled during the pregame program that day.
“As we continue to navigate the loss of Bob, we’re truly grateful to the Brewers for hosting this Celebration of Life. We look forward to coming together to honor his memory and share in the meaningful moments of the day,” family representative Bob Uecker Jr. said in a statement.
