Revered Broadcaster Jack Quinlan Belongs in Cubs Hall of Fame
The Cubs are one of baseball’s most storied franchises, and the team’s fans have been blessed with some of the best announcers in the history of the sport. Pat Hughes, Harry Caray, and Jack Brickhouse are Ford C. Frick Award honorees. Hughes earned his award in 2023, and all three have also been inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame. Chicago’s past announcers also include Ron Santo, Lou Boudreau, Vince Lloyd, and Jack Quinlan.
Quinlan, who called games on WGN radio from 1955 to 1964, often with Charlie Grimm, may have been the greatest. He was in the booth when Don Cardwell threw a no-hitter against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field on May 15, 1960. Quinlan’s riveting play-by-play of the final three outs of Cardwell’s no-no is a masterclass in broadcasting. Cardwell had been acquired by the Cubs from the Phillies for Cal Neeman and Tony Taylor two days prior. You can hear the influence Quinlan had on Bob Uecker when you listen.
Quinlan was just 38 years old when he died tragically in a car accident on March 19, 1965. He was in Arizona for spring training and had just left a golf outing in Mesa when the accident occurred. Ron Barber, a former colleague of Bob Costas at KMOX in St. Louis, is pushing for Quinlan’s induction into the Hall of Fame via the Frick Award. He’d also like to see the Cubs honor the late broadcaster with a plaque in the team’s Hall of Fame alongside Brickhouse, Caray, and Hughes. Barber has been championing his cause for two-plus decades.
“I was one of millions of baby-boomer kids who grew up in Chicagoland, loved the Cubs, and fell in love with a man who I feel was on a fast track to become the greatest baseball broadcaster in history,” said Barber. “It’s one of the most egregious omissions in the history of the Hall of Fame.
“Every Hall of Fame announcer I ever spoke to says, unquestionably, Jack Quinlan deserves the honor. Costas says ‘It’s almost a crime Quinlan hasn’t been elected to the Hall.’”
Barber also produced a tribute video called “The Day the Cubbie Bear Cried and the Music Died.”
Costas, who was introduced to Quinlan’s work by Barber, considers Quinlan among the all-time greats. That’s high praise, considering 25 eventual Frick honorees were broadcasting baseball in 1964. That esteemed list includes Brickhouse, Caray, Mel Allen, Red Barber, Ernie Harwell, Jack Buck, Chuck Thompson, and Bob Elson, plus the great Vin Scully. Quinlan and Thompson covered the 1960 World Series between the Pirates and Yankees for NBC National Radio. Yes, that’s the series that ended on a walk-off home run by Bill Mazeroski off of Ralph Terry. Talk about your golden age of broadcasting.
“Very simply, if we are going on sheer broadcasting ability and quality of work, Jack Quinlan is among the best radio baseball broadcasters I have ever heard.” Costas said in 2022. “Voice, pacing, sense of humor, attention to detail, excitement when it was called for, all the elements you look for in a baseball broadcaster.”
Legendary Chicago radio host Bob Sirott, who helped launch Marquee Network’s Icons of the Ivy episodes, credited Quinlan for his career. He grew up on the North Side listening to Quinlan and Boudreau.
“Nobody has the impact that Quinlan had,” Sirott said. “Why? Because the teams were horrible during his years. It was the magic of his broadcast. [He] had the perfect voice, and [his] personality was very natural. [Quinlan] wasn’t like Mr. Announcer… and also so real. He had such a spirit of fun about him. You had the feeling this was a nice guy and an approachable guy.”
Sirott said Brickhouse told him that, had Quinlan lived, WGN wouldn’t have been able to keep him.
Quinlan was beloved in Evanston, where he lived while calling Cubs games. He’d often take neighborhood kids to the game, ensuring they had good seats and that they’d be looked after by Wrigley Field ushers. A charity golf tournament in Quinlan’s name was launched in 1967. Proceeds were donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago.
“He had a red convertible, and he’d gather up the neighborhood kids. Like, ‘Who wants to go to the game?’” said his daughter Susie. “They’d be screaming to their moms, ‘Is it OK if I go with Mr. Quinlan?’ Everybody would pile in the car, and down Clark Street we’d go.”
Quinlan’s daughter, Barber, and Costas continue to push for Quinlan’s induction into the Cubs Hall of Fame in 2026. The organization has recently declined the request, arguing that he lacks the longevity of Brickhouse, Caray, and Hughes. Fans can assist by contacting the team’s fan services department.
The next Frick Award nominees will be announced in 2027, and Barber and Costas are also behind the effort to get Quinlan included. The selection process for the ’27 award will focus solely on broadcasters who retired before the introduction of the Wild Card era in 1994. The Frick Award electorate is comprised of the living recipients, which includes Costas, and three broadcast historians/columnists. To be considered, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, network, or a combination of the two. Quinlan meets that criteria despite his unexpected death.
Check the Quinlan Facebook page for more information. You can also express your support for Quinlan by emailing the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jon Shestakofsky is the VP of Communications and Content, while Craig Muder is the Hall’s Director of Communications.
