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Chuck Swirsky (born January 30, 1954) is an American–Canadian radio sports announcer. He is the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Swirsky's association with Chicago sports started in 1979 with his WCFL AM 1000 talk show, which debuted on August 27 of that year. Outside Chicago, Swirsky called play-by-play for both University of Michigan basketball and football and was formerly the play-by-play voice of the Toronto Raptors.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Swirsky grew up in Bellevue, Washington, and is a graduate of Interlake High School.
Chuck Swirsky Facebook Post, March 23, 2024. Retrieved 2024-29-03
Swirsky left WGN for Detroit, where he did play-by-play for University of Michigan basketball in the mid-1990s. He was also sports director for WJR radio. Rob Pelinka was among his Michigan color commentators.
Swirsky next moved to Toronto to become the play-by-play voice of the Toronto Raptors during the 1998–99 NBA season, first on the radio, then for television beginning in 2001. On March 23, 2007, Swirsky was honored by the Raptors when they gave out 18,000 with his likeness. He was known for his famous "Salami & Cheese" phrase, which was used to advertise Raptors game packs during the 2007–08 season. Another catch phrase was "Onions, Baby, Onions," uttered when a player made a three-point shot, and later used to advertise Raptors NBA TV HD. Swirsky became a Canadian citizen on January 14, 2008.
During the middle of his tenure in Toronto, Swirsky also hosted a sports radio show on CJCL (The Fan 590) called The Chuck Swirsky Show. Swirsky took listeners' calls and provided sports news. On May 6, 2008, Swirsky left the organization for personal reasons related to his family. The show ended on July 31, 2008, and Swirsky's vacated position was filled by Matt Devlin.
Swirsky has since returned to Chicago to carry out the radio play-by-play for the Chicago Bulls on its flagship station WMVP, which is the same station as Swirsky's first employer, WCFL. He has also called Chicago White Sox games in 2015 as a fill-in for then play-by-play broadcaster, Ken Harrelson.
On September 7, 2016, Swirsky was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. In May 2018, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the WGN Radio Walk of Fame. He was named to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame in 2022.
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