Jim Irwin (February 7, 1934 – January 22, 2012)[1] was a longtime sportscaster at WTMJ Radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is probably best known as having been the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers for 30 years.
Career
Irwin worked with former Packer Lionel Aldridge, and was paired for 20 seasons with Super Bowl I hero Max McGee. Irwin also called Milwaukee Brewers baseball, Milwaukee Bucks basketball, and Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball games He joined the Packers radio broadcasts as a color commentator in 1969 and assumed play by play duties in 1975, a position he held until his retirement after the 1998 season, along with morning sportscasting and commentary duties on WTMJ's morning program.[2] He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2003. Irwin continued to contribute occasionally to WTMJ after he retired.
Prior to his longtime career as the voice of the Packers, Irwin began his broadcast career in 1964 as sports director at WLUK-TV in Green Bay.
Early life and death
He was born in Linn Creek, Missouri.[3] Irwin served in the U.S. Army in Korea and then enrolled at the University of Missouri, where he majored in speech.
Irwin died of complications from kidney cancer on January 22, 2012 at the age of 77.[4]
References
- ^ O'Connor Mortuary obituary
- ^ WTMJ website Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Irwin, voice of the Packers, dies at 77, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Jan. 23, 2012)
- ^ Spofford, Mike. "Former Packers radio announcer Jim Irwin dies". Packers.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.