Red Barber - Overview

Date of Birth: Feb 17, 1908 Date of Death: Oct 22, 1992

Place of Birth: Columbus, Mississippi, USA

Nationality: United States

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Full Biography

A pioneer baseball sportscaster, "The Old Redhead" is generally acknowledged as having been one of the very best practitioners of his craft. Over the course of his long career, Barber called play-by-play on the first night baseball game, the first televised game (during which he also announced the first TV commercials), the first televised World Series, and the first televised football games. The first man to be hired by Edward R. Murrow when the legendary newsman returned from World War II to run CBS News, he served as the network's director of sports.

Barber garnered praise from some and criticism from others for his scrupulous impartiality during his broadcasts; one never had a sense that he was rooting for one team over another--a trait that sometimes irritated partisans (such as his employers). Barber became familiar to a new generation of fans through his Friday morning appearances on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" for the last 11 years of his life. One did not need to be a sports fan to delight in hearing this great broadcaster's wonderful... Read More

Filmography (0)

Milestones (11)

1992
Appeared in Ken Burns' documentary, "Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio"

1978
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with fellow broadcaster Mel Allen, the first broadcasters to be so honored

1966
Fired by the Yankees for paying too much attention to low attendance at the games

1953
TV series renamed "The Peak of Sports News"

1934 - 1938
Worked as the sportscaster for the Cincinnati Reds

Major Acheivement
Became a regular weekly contributor to National Public Radio's "Morning Edition"

Major Acheivement
Announced for the New York Yankees

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