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Robert Ferris Prince (July 1, 1916 – June 10, 1985) was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator, best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the nickname "The Gunner" and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh.
Prince was one of the most distinct and popular voices in sports broadcast history, known for his gravel voice, unabashed style and clever nicknames and phrases, which came to be known as "Gunnerisms." His unique manner influenced a number of broadcasters after him, including Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange and Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst Myron Cope.
Prince called Pirates games from 1948 to 1975, including the World Series championship years of 1960 and 1971. Nationally, he broadcast the 1960, 1966, and 1971 World Series and the 1965 All-Star Game for NBC, as well as the first season (1976) of ABC's Monday Night Baseball. He also broadcast at different times for other Pittsburgh-area sports teams, including Steelers football and Penguins hockey.
As a result of his distinct voice, knowledge of baseball, and high-profile persona, Prince was very popular among Pirates supporters. Prince was a fixture on team broadcasts for three decades on KDKA-AM, a clear channel radio station that could be heard throughout the eastern United States after sundown. He once claimed to have gone into the booth without anything more than a pencil, a scorecard, and his imagination; the approach of warm announcing and occasional rambling drew plenty of admiration from fans, albeit with detractors, most notably with Branch Rickey, who was general manager of the Pirates in the 1950s.
A regular Tobacco smoking and social drinker, the fun-loving Prince jumped from the third floor of the Chase Hotel in St. Louis into a swimming pool in 1957, on a dare by Pirates third baseman Gene Freese. He became good friends with slugger Ralph Kiner and even formed a business to handle Kiner's business interests. Prince, who also spoke Spanish language, grew close with Roberto Clemente and was reportedly one of few people who could call him "Bob" on a regular basis. In the 1971 World Series, pitcher Bruce Kison had scheduled his wedding to take place after Game 7. Prince, in exchange for World Series tickets, found a way to get Kison a private jet so he could make his wedding.
To be sure, no one bled black and gold like Prince did before or since. Invariably, when his Buccos were trailing in the late innings by two runs, he'd say, " We need a bloop and a blast!" If calling for three runs, he would say, "We need a bleeder, a bloop and a blast!" He would call a great double play a “Hoover job,” and his praise of Bill Mazeroski as perhaps the finest fielding second baseman ever was evident throughout Maz's tenure with the Bucs. His great love, appreciation and respect for Roberto Clemente represented one of the few who didn't downplay the great right fielder due to his playing for the non-elite Pittsburgh Pirates. Unique was Prince's “excited voice,” an electrified component of his announcing which won the loyalty of Pirate fans forever. His cleverness slipped over into Woods' style as well, and by the mid-'60s, The Possum would be announcing the presence of pinch-hitter (and reserve catcher) Jesse Gonder with, "Let's go up yonder with Jesse Gonder." (The two would continue working together through the season, after which the flagship station KDKA refused to match a higher salary offer from KMOX in St. Louis for Woods to join Jack Buck in the Cardinals' booth; that partnership only lasted two seasons.) Prince was more of a rooter than a homer, in that he always showed respect to opponents and the game alike. Like the vast majority of broadcasters of his time, he rarely second-guessed players or managers. He was especially close friends with Milwaukee Braves pitchers Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette.
Prince would reunite with Woods on two separate occasions for the USA Network. The first was on July 26, 1979, for a game between the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds in Pittsburgh. The second occasion was on August 28, 1980, for another Pirates game in Pittsburgh against the Reds.
By late season, with the Pirates in a terrific pennant race with the Dodgers and Giants, some fans would parade a giant replica of the Green Weenie through the grandstand as a rally symbol. The hex symbol had started in the dugout with trainer Danny Whelan. Prince picked up on it and began talking about it on the broadcasts. No one thought to trademark the Green Weenie, so tens of thousands were sold in 1966, but Prince, Whelan, and the Pirates didn't profit from it.
Pittsburgh finished in third place at , three games behind the league champion Dodgers; the Pirates lost their final three games, swept at home by the Giants.
After his time with the Pirates, Prince had stints calling Houston Astros baseball (1976), Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, and ABC's Monday Night Baseball. On ABC, he was partnered with Warner Wolf and Bob Uecker. He was frustrated that ABC wouldn't let him employ his usual style (the network encouraged talking without much personality) and was removed from the primary Monday night broadcast team during his first season () before being dropped altogether after the season. He also was released by the Astros after a one-year stay; he later said that Houston didn't agree with him. His work with the Penguins was a cause of consternation for hockey fans because he didn't understand the game and didn't know the Penguins' personnel. Eventually he was taken off play-by-play and re-cast as an intermission interviewer. Eventually, he returned to Pirate baseball, thrilling his loyal fans, in 1982, calling a limited number of Pirates games for a cable station.
The 1985 team finished last in the majors at . Willie Stargell had retired three years earlier, and most of the 1979 championship team had disbanded. The fourth inning broadcast announced by Prince on May 3 was the fifth-most runs scored in any one inning (9) in Pirates franchise history. A commentator on KDKA-TV (Channel 2) referred to it on the 6 p.m. news as the "last revival of the Green Weenie," Prince's good luck charm from 1966. Prince announced a few following homestands. Weeks later, he reported to the park for another game, but his illness forced him to go home after waiting through a long rain delay. Prince was unable to report for work again and was re-admitted to the hospital, where he died at age 68 on June 10. His brief funeral service on June 16 was attended by seven hundred.
Even today, his name remains synonymous with Pirates baseball including the naming of the new "Gunner's Lounge" at PNC Park in 2012. What to Eat at PNC Park, Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates - Eater In 1999, Prince was selected for the Pride of the Pirates award, a lifetime achievement honor given annually to a member of the organization.
Honors and awards
Prince was posthumously awarded the Ford C. Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster in . 1986 Ford C. Frick Award Winner Bob Prince He also was a 1986 inductee in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
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Categories: 1916 Births, 1985 Deaths, Deaths From Cancer In Pennsylvania, College Basketball Announcers In The United States, Deaths From Oral Cancer In The United States, Ford C. Frick Award Recipients, Houston Astros Announcers, Major League Baseball Broadcasters, Nfl Announcers, National Hockey League Broadcasters, Radio Personalities From Los Angeles, Penn State Nittany Lions Football Announcers, Pittsburgh Panthers Men's Swimmers, Pittsburgh Penguins Announcers, Pittsburgh Pirates Announcers, Pittsburgh Steelers Announcers, Radio Personalities From Pittsburgh, Schenley High School Alumni, Phi Delta Theta Members
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