Harry Caray

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Caray was born Harry Christopher Carabina to an Italian father and a mother of uncertain European background in St. Louis. He was 14 when his mother died from complications of influenza. He went to live with his uncle and aunt. He attended Webster Groves High School and was offered a roster spot by the University of Alabama but could not accept due to financial woes. He tried to enlist but was denied due to poor eyesight. He sold gym equipment before investigating announcing. He learned the trade at radio stations in Joliet, Illinois, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. In Joliet, station manager Bob Holt suggested he change his surname from Carabina to Caray. Caray caught his break with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945. He also announced hockey games for the St. Louis Flyers. In November 1968, he was nearly killed after being struck by a car in St. Louis, suffering two broken legs. He returned for the 1969 season. After the 1969 season, the Cardinals declined to renew his contract. He spent one season with the Oakland Athletics in 1970. He joined the Chicago White Sox in 1971. He left the White Sox after the 1981 season and joined the Chicago Cubs for the 1982 season. In February 1987, he suffered a stroke and missed most of the first two months of the season.

In Their Own Story

In February 1987, just prior to spring training at his winter home near Palm Springs, Caray suffered a stroke. This event forced him out of the broadcast booth for most of the first two months of the regular season. During his absence, WGN featured a rotating series of celebrity guest announcers while Caray recuperated. Despite this setback and the natural decline of age, his national popularity never wavered. He was kept on the air past WGN's normal mandatory retirement age due to his immense fan base. Toward the end of his career, his schedule was limited, but he remained a central figure until December 1997, when his grandson Chip Caray was hired to share play-by-play duties for the upcoming season. Tragically, Harry Caray died on February 18, 1998, before the baseball season began, leaving the anticipated grandfather-grandson partnership in the booth unrealized.

Reader's Guide

Caray's career spanned five MLB teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1945–1969, with two years also calling St. Louis Browns games), Oakland Athletics (1970), Chicago White Sox (1971–1981), and Chicago Cubs (1982–1997). He broadcast three World Series (1964, 1967, 1968) on NBC and the 1957 All-Star Game on NBC Radio. He called Stan Musial's 3,000th hit on May 13, 1958. With the Cubs, he became nationally famous via WGN-TV's superstation reach. He led the crowd in singing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' during the seventh inning stretch.

Did You Know?

• Caray's original surname was Carabina, changed on the advice of a radio station manager.
• He was nearly killed by a car in St. Louis in November 1968, breaking both legs.
• He broadcast Stan Musial's 3,000th hit on May 13, 1958.
• Caray led the seventh-inning stretch singing at Cubs games.