You knew it wouldn’t take long for the tributes to come pouring in for recently deceased broadcasting icon Ernie Harwell.  One of the last true gentlemen, Harwell, to many of us, was more than just a guy calling Tigers games.

He was family.

His gentle nature and familial style invited you in, much the way your grandfather would sit you on his knee and spin yarns of “the good old days,” and even though the stories seemed corny and maudlin, you loved to hear them nonetheless.

The same was true of Ernie Harwell.

Harwell’s courage in the face of the crippling disease we call cancer was nothing short of heroic.  Even though his disease was determined to be incurable, it could do nothing to extinguish his spirit.  To the end, the man was an inspiration.

So I thought it’d be fitting way to pay tribute to Ernie Harwell by sharing a collection of his quotes, some well known, some not, and a few little-known facts about the legendary broadcaster.  Enjoy.

ERNIE HARWELL QUOTES

“I’d like to be remembered as someone who showed up for the job. I consider myself a worker. I love what I do. If I had my time over again, I’d probably do it for nothing.”

“I think I owe thanks to the people who have listened to me over the years, who tuned in on the radio. They have given me a warmth and loyalty that I’ve never been able to repay. The way they have reached out to me has certainly been the highlight of my life.”

“The greatest single moment I’ve ever known in Detroit was Jim Northrup’s triple in the seventh game of the World Series in St. Louis. It was a stunning moment because not only were the Tigers winning a world championship that meant so much to an entire city, they were beating the best pitcher I ever saw—Bob Gibson.”

“If I walked back into the booth in the year 2025, I don’t think it would have changed much. I think baseball would be played and managed pretty much the same as it is today. It’s a great survivor.”

“Baseball is a lot like life. It’s a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life.”

ERNIE HARWELL FACTS

Was the only broadcaster to ever figure into a trade.  Branch Rickey acquired Harwell in a trade with Earl Mann, President of the Atlanta Crackers.  Harwell was shipped to Brooklyn for Montreal catcher Cliff Dapper.

Considers his call of Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” in 1951 as one of his greatest thrills, along with his call of Hoyt Wilhelm’s 1958 no-hitter.

Is a member of the Radio Hall of Fame, the National Sportscasters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.  Also received the coveted Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

Was a songwriter, having had 66 songs recorded by various artists.

Called the last game at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium on September 27,1999.

Called the first game at Comerica Park on April 11,2000.