Chick Hearn

Life and career

Chick Hearn came into the world in Buda, Illinois, and grew up in Aurora, a western suburb of Chicago. He went to Marmion Academy for high school and later attended Bradley University. While playing Amateur Athletic Union basketball there, his teammates pulled a prank that gave him his famous nickname: they handed him a shoebox, and when he opened it expecting sneakers, he found a dead chicken instead, so they called him "Chick." He married Marge on August 13, 1938, and the couple had two children, a son named Gary and a daughter named Samantha, who also went by Janice. Both kids died before Hearn did. His granddaughter is Shannon. Marge passed away on January 30, 2016, at 98 years old.

Hearn's long run of calling games started on November 21, 1965. He had missed the Lakers' game the night before because bad weather left him stuck in Fayetteville, Arkansas, after he announced a matchup between Arkansas and Texas Tech. That was only the second time he had missed a Lakers assignment since he took over as the team's broadcaster in March 1961. After that, he did not miss another game until December 16, 2001. During the streak, he worked alongside color commentators like "Hot" Rod Hundley, Pat Riley, Keith Erickson, Dick Schad, Lynn Shackelford, and Stu Lantz.

The streak ended at 3,338 consecutive Lakers games when he had to get scheduled cardiac bypass surgery on December 16, 2001. He recovered, but in February 2002, he broke his hip after falling at a gas station, which pushed back his return. He got back to broadcasting on April 9, 2002, and the crowd at Staples Center gave him a standing ovation. His last broadcast was the Lakers' radio call of Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals, where Los Angeles beat the New Jersey Nets to win their third straight championship. His final appearance with the Lakers was as the emcee for the team's championship parade in June 2002.

In 1972, owner Jack Kent Cooke hired Hearn as the Lakers' assistant general manager. For seven years, he gave advice on personnel and trades and helped negotiate player contracts. In 1979, Hearn told Cooke to draft future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

Honors

Chick Hearn was the third broadcaster to receive the Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 9, 1991, and in 2003 he became the first announcer ever inducted into that Hall. His peers voted him the 20th member of the American Sportscaster Hall of Fame in 1995, and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame inducted him in 1997. The city of Los Angeles and the Lakers renamed a stretch of West 11th Street between Figueroa and Georgia—now L.A. Live Way—to Chick Hearn Court, which runs alongside the main entrance of Crypto.com Arena.

The nearby A and E line station was renamed Pico/Chick Hearn by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. His name hangs from the rafters of Staples Center next to retired Lakers players’ numbers, but with a microphone instead of a number. Hearn also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for radio at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard. On April 27, 2010, a bronze statue of him was unveiled at Star Plaza outside Staples Center; the statue includes a chair behind a desk with the Lakers logo so fans can sit beside it for photos.

On-air style and demeanor

Hearn focused on calling play-by-play and did not chitchat while the game was in motion. He reported clearly and rapidly, a style well-suited for his notable simulcasts of Lakers games on television and radio, which were a tradition during his tenure. He was especially appreciated on radio because listening to the broadcast was almost like watching the game. After his departure, the simulcasts ended, with some listeners complaining that his successor, Paul Sunderland, was difficult to follow for radio listeners.

His style sometimes made it difficult for his partners to speak; color commentator Keith Erickson fondly reminisced at a ceremony commemorating Hearn: "Not being able to talk for eight years [as his partner], I thought this was a great opportunity to share a bit." Hearn was formal, always referring to the Lakers' former owner as "Mr. Cooke" and to owner Jerry Buss as "Dr. Jerry Buss" or "Dr. Buss."

Chickisms

The particular phrases Hearn used during broadcasts were labeled "Chickisms." Many are staples of basketball. A book of his memoirs published in 2004 included an audio CD with the calls and a Chick Hearn Rap-Around rap song created with the samples. Examples include: "20 foot lay-up" for a jump shot by Jamaal Wilkes; "And that one came down wet" for a very high arch "rainbow" shot that goes through the clouds; "(The) Bank is open" for a poorly guarded bank shot from the side; "(He sent that one back) Air-mail Special!" for a strongly blocked shot often sent high into the stands; "Bloooows the layup!" for missing a very easy layup; "Bloooows a cripple!" for missing an easy shot; "Boo-birds" for fans who boo their own team; "(He did the) bunny hop in the pea patch" for being called for traveling; "(You could) call it with Braille" for an easy call for an official, e.g., a blatant foul; "(He got) caught with his hand in the cookie jar" for a reaching foul; "(The) charity stripe" for the free throw line; "(That player is in) civilians" for a player not in uniform; "(He's got 'em) covered like the rug on your floor" for really good one-on-one defense; "(They) couldn't beat the Sisters of Mercy" for a team getting beaten badly; "(They) couldn't throw a pea into the ocean" for really awful shooting; "(It'll) count if it goes ..." for a player fouled in the act of shooting or getting off a shot just before the buzzer; "It go-o-o-oes!"