Bob Prince

From SoSH

Robert Ferris Prince (July 1, 1916 - June 10, 1985), known as "The Gunner," spent 28 years as the colorful and popular broadcaster of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Broadcasting Biography

Prince was born in Los Angeles, California. With his father in the Army, Prince lived in many places, ending up in Pittsburgh, where he would letter in swimming at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Pirates broadcasting team in 1948, the #2 man to Rosey Rowswell. Prince replaced Rowswell as lead broadcaster shortly after Roswell's death in 1955. Prince became widely known outside the Tri-State area, broadcasting on clear channel KDKA-AM, which could be heard well outside Pittsburgh at night, and is credited with drawing numerous fans to the Pirates.

Prince was considered to be at his best when he was paired with Jim Woods through the 1960s. Prince, a homer in the tradition of Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse, influenced Woods to do the same. The duo remained together until 1969, when KDKA refused to match a salary offer to Woods from KMOX in St. Louis. Woods worked there with Jack Buck for just two seasons.

Prince was fired in 1975 after escalating personal battles with Westinghouse, the owners of KDKA, who had taken over in 1969. Players and fans alike rallied to get Prince reinstated, but to no avail. After his dismissal, he worked briefly for the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as ABC'S Monday Night Baseball, before returning to the Pirates in the 1980s on cable television. KDKA took Prince back in 1985, just three days after he'd been in the hospital for treatment for oral cancer brought on by his smoking habit. He was only able to announce two innings, but in one of those two innings on May 3, 1985, a hapless Pittsburgh Pirates team scored nine runs for Prince. He died of mouth cancer five weeks later.

In 1986, Prince received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He remains a symbol of baseball in Pittsburgh to this day, and in 1999, he was selected for the Pride of the Pirates Award, a lifetime achievement award given annually to a member of the Pittsburgh organization.

Trivia

• The athletic Prince, in 1957, took a bet from Pirates third baseman Gene Freese to jump from the third floor of St. Louis's Chase Hotel into a swimming pool below.
• Like any regular fan, Prince had his good-luck charm: the Green Weenie, a plastic rattle shaped like an oversized green hot dog which he would use to jinx the opposing team. "Never underestimate the power of the Green Weenie," he told his listeners.

Further Reading

• Bob Prince's biography at the Baseball Hall of Fame website
• Bob Prince - Courtesy of Wikipedia