Pat Foley

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Pat Foley
A white man in a red polo shirt and sunglasses is standing atop a red double-decker bus, raising his hat, and looking towards the photographer's right.
Foley photographed on June 11, 2010
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Glenview, Illinois, U.S.
EducationB.S., Michigan State U.
OccupationPlay-by-play commentator
Employers

Pat Foley (born 1954) is a Chicago-based play-by-play commentator for ice hockey.

Personal life

Born in Glenview, Illinois in 1954,[1] Pat Foley is the son of Mary and Bob Foley.[2] He is an alumnus of Loyola Academy and Michigan State University (with a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications from the latter).[1]

Career

In 1964, Foley was allowed into the radio booth at Wrigley Field and sat alongside announcers Lou Boudreau and Jack Quinlan. This sparked his interest in play-by-play commentating.[2] After calling baseball and hockey games at Michigan State University, in 1977[3] he began his career in Grand Rapids, Michigan announcing minor league hockey games. His father would take the recordings of the Foley at Grand Rapids Owls' games and pass them along to Michael Wirtz, brother of Bill Wirtz, owner of the Chicago Blackhawks. This secured Foley at position at the company, and his first game was[2] on October 19, 1980.[4]

Foley worked for the Blackhawks as a play-by-play radio commentator from 1981–2006.[1] He was fired "amid a rift with [Blackhawks] management" in 2006.[5] Foley spent the 2006–07 and 2007–08 AHL seasons calling games for the Chicago Wolves.[6] He returned to the Blackhawks in 2008 following the death of Bill Wirtz,[2] and partnered with Eddie Olczyk.[1] On June 23, 2021, the Blackhawks announced via Twitter that 2021–22 would be Foley's final season calling games.[7]

Legacy

Foley became renowned for his exclamation during the Blackhawks' game against the Minnesota North Stars for the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs. When Murray Bannerman "made a dramatic save on a breakaway, Foley cried out, 'BANNERRRMANNN!'" By 2014, Foley was still constantly asked to repeat the iconic outburst.[2] John McDonough described Foley as "synonymous with Blackhawks hockey [with a voice that] resonates loudly to our entire fan base."[6]

Foley won Emmy Awards in 1991,[6] 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2015.[3] He was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[1] On April 19, 2013, NBC Sports Chicago honored Foley for his 30th season with the Blackhawks.[3] In 2014, he received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award[2] and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame.[8] In 2019, the National Sports Media Association named Foley the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Blackhawks Broadcasters Foley & Olczyk Receive Three Year Extensions". Chicagoland Radio & Media. December 31, 2010. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Sherman, Ed (November 15, 2014). "Blackhawks voice Pat Foley's journey to Hockey Hall of Fame". Chicago Tribune. ISSN 2165-171X. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Pat Foley - TV Play-By-Play". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "Stan Mikita, Hall of Fame hockey star with Chicago Blackhawks, dies at 78". The Washington Post. August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018. His No. 21 jersey was the first to be retired by the team...
  5. ^ "People & Personalities: Foley Officially Back With Blackhawks". SportsBusiness Daily. Advance. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Pat Foley returns to Hawks". Chicago Sun-Times. Cyrus Freidheim Jr. June 16, 2008. ISSN 1553-8478. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  7. ^ Chicago Blackhawks [@NHLBlackhawks] (June 23, 2021). "Hall of Fame play-by-play broadcaster Pat Foley will call his final season of #Blackhawks hockey during the 2021-22 campaign. A titan of the NHL and Chicago broadcasting community, Foley's 39th season in the booth will include a year-long celebration" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Powers, Scott (November 17, 2014). "Foley's career 'beyond dreamlike' as he enters Hall of Fame". Chicago: ESPN. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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