With cans of Miller Lite held high in the air, a large crowd that gathered in the parking lot of a Downtown financial center on Tuesday offered a toast to the official completion of a 100-foot-high mural honoring Milwaukee Brewers broadcasting legend Bob Uecker.
Renowned Milwaukee mural artist Mauricio Ramirez then signed his latest work on the north façade of the Wintrust Financial Center, 731 N. Jackson St.
“We always said that Bob was larger than life, and now he literally is exactly that,” said Lane Grindle, Brewers broadcaster and event emcee.
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Grindle led the toast for Uecker with these words: “There’s only ever been one. There only ever will be one. Our friend and teammate, and the forever face and voice of the Milwaukee Brewers.”
The mural depicts Uecker, nicknamed “Mr. Baseball,” in his iconic role as Brewers radio play-by-play announcer, a role he held for 54 years until his death on Jan. 16, 2026, just shy of his 91st birthday, due to small cell lung cancer.
“It’s just incredible to be able to have this in Milwaukee, the city my dad grew up in. He loved Milwaukee and he loved Wisconsin, it’s just a real privilege for us,” Uecker’s son, Bob Uecker Jr., told Milwaukee Magazine. “I know if my dad was here, he’d be very humbled and very impressed with what Mauricio has done.”
Uecker Jr. said his father always tried to lift the spirits of those around him. “If you were having a bad day around him, you weren’t trying. He was definitely a glass half full kind of guy and we all miss him. This is pretty special and a nice way to remember him.”
Ramirez began work in mid-May on the 80-foot by 100-foot mural commissioned by the ownership group of Wintrust Financial Center, with support from The Westin Milwaukee, We Energies Foundation, Milwaukee Downtown BID #21 and Visit Milwaukee.
“I’ve painted all over the country for the past 10 to 15 years, and I have to say Milwaukee’s my favorite city to paint in,” said Ramirez, who wore a Brewers jersey with Uecker’s name on the back. “The way you guys appreciate public art and have this relationship with sports and with Bob Uecker, it’s just the biggest joy for me to be able to be part of this project.”
Several other members of Uecker’s family were in attendance, including his wife and longtime partner, Judy. Brewers manager Pat Murphy, team captain Christian Yelich, general manager Matt Arnold and president of business operations Rick Schlesinger also took part.
“He was so authentic, you’d never know he was a Hall of Famer,” Murphy said. “And he was at home in that clubhouse. He knew that was his family year in and year out, that he was part of the group.”
Yelich grew incredibly close to Uecker during his time with the Brewers, having arrived in Milwaukee in 2018.
“It was special to get to know Uke over the years and to see him in his environment, just with the guys hanging out, telling stories, getting to be himself,” Yelich said. “That was a special stuff, just getting to be around him and hear about his life and his experiences and all the things he got to do, not only in baseball but outside of it, too.”
Yelich said Uecker always had the players’ backs.
“He understood how hard the game was, how much you struggle in the game,” Yelich said. “He understood the grind and how hard that it was to be successful in baseball. So, when guys were having a bit of a tough stretch, he’d always come around and crack a joke, maybe go into Harry Doyle from Major League. He’d always lighten the mood, whether it was me or somebody who just got called up.”
Uecker showed incredible loyalty to the Brewers and his home city, Schlesinger said.
“He had been offered opportunities to go national or work for other teams,” Schlesinger said, sharing that New York Yankees bombastic owner George Steinbrenner kept trying to “poach” Uecker.
“Milwaukee was his home and his love, and he never left us,” he said.
The completion of the mural capped off on Tuesday with a tailgate-themed celebration in sweltering conditions, with temperatures climbing to above 90 degrees. Molson Coors distributed 500 cans of Miller Lite, for which Uecker was a long-time spokesperson, to guests, with the cold brews offering some relief.
The Milwaukee Brewers Dance Crew, Street Team, DJ James, Bernie Brewer, Barrelman and the Famous Racing Sausages provided entertainment. Brats were also provided, in true tailgate fashion.
The new creation joins several other Downtown murals by Ramirez, including ten utility box murals painted in a geometric style along Wisconsin Avenue, the Heart and Sol mural on the Community Advocates building, 728 N. James Lovell St., and the massive mural of former Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo at 600 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Last year, Ramirez completed a landmark public art project that is believed to be the largest mural in Wisconsin, a 1,076-foot-long creation on the riverfront-facing back wall of the Cummins engine and generator factory in Oshkosh. “These projects just show how we care for our communities and the things that actually mean something to us,” Ramirez said. “This just makes my heart full of joy and being able to share my abilities with the world and inspire the next generation of artists also makes me really proud to do what I do.”
The mural is the latest project focused on Uecker, a sign of his immense popularity and the lasting impact he’s had on the Milwaukee community. In addition to his incredible stint as a broadcaster, Uecker, a Milwaukee native, played six seasons in the Major Leagues, including two as a member of the Milwaukee Braves.
He was also a pitchman for a variety of products and worked as a national color commentator for ABC and NBC baseball telecasts. He had a memorable 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 on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” 62 times.
The press box at American Family Field carries the name Bob Uecker Broadcast Center and a movie depicting Uecker’s extraordinary life premiered at the Milwaukee Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews. The film is set to be released at 14 Marcus Theatres across Wisconsin in late July.
