LEAD NFL & MLB PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
LEAD NFL & MLB PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
Joe Buck is the lead play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ NFL and MLB coverage.
Buck has called an astounding six Super Bowls, 23 World Series and 25 MLB League Championship Series for the network. In 2020, Buck was informed, while on-air during the Cleveland Browns-Cincinnati Bengals Thursday Night Football broadcast, that he would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the winner of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
As the lead voice for FOX NFL since 2002, Buck worked with analysts Aikman and Cris Collinsworth for three seasons (2002-04), before partnering exclusively with Aikman in 2005. The duo is the second longest-running broadcast team to call NFL games, second only to broadcast legends Pat Summerall and John Madden. In addition to calling AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK, the pair is joined by rules analyst Mike Pereira and reporters Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink for the network’s THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL broadcasts.
A seven-time Emmy Award winner, Buck has held lead FOX MLB play-by-play duties since 1996. In addition to calling marquee regular-season contests, he is behind the mic for the All-Star Game and MLB Postseason matchups alongside first-ballot Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz.
Previously, Buck hosted FOX NFL SUNDAY, America's most-watched NFL pregame show, and THE OT, the nation’s most-watched NFL postgame show, in 2006. That season, FOX NFL SUNDAY traveled to the site of each week’s biggest game, allowing Buck to both host the pregame show and call each game. It marked the first time in sports television history that a broadcaster hosted an NFL pregame show while simultaneously handling play-by-play duties.
Buck's impressive FOX MLB resume includes the 1996, 1998 and 2000-19 World Series; the 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003-05, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 American League Championship Series; the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 National League Championship Series; the 1997, 1999, 2001-19 All-Star Games; and the Cubs-Cardinals game on Sept. 8, 1998, when Mark McGwire hit his historic 62nd home run and set what then was a new single-season home run record. In working his 15th MLB All-Star Game with analyst Tim McCarver in 2013, the duo totaled more All-Star Games than any other broadcast pair. Buck called his 16th All-Star Game in 2014, placing him first on the all-time list of play-by-play announcers, surpassing Curt Gowdy’s 14.
Buck joined FOX Sports in 1994, and along with analyst Tim Green, formed one of FOX NFL’s six original broadcast teams. At 25 years old, Buck was the youngest announcer to call a full slate of NFL games on network television, and just two years later became the youngest play-by-play announcer to call the World Series (27).
Buck was a local radio and television announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1991 to 2007. His broadcasting career began in 1989, while he was an undergraduate at Indiana University. That year he called play-by-play for the Louisville Redbirds of the American Association, a minor-league affiliate of the Cardinals, and was a reporter for ESPN’s coverage of the Triple-A All-Star Game. Buck also hosted a talk show for HBO Sports, "Joe Buck Live," in 2009, and hosts "Undeniable with Joe Buck" on DirecTV’s Audience Network.
Joe is the son of late broadcasting legend Jack Buck, whose career spanned parts of six decades. Jack and Joe are the only father and son to each call the Super Bowl on network television.
Active in many national and local charities, he hosts The Joe Buck Classic golf tournament, which benefits St. Louis Children's Hospital and helps fund its imaging center. Since it began in 2000, the annual event has raised more than $5 million. Buck also works closely with the Parkinson's Foundation, Mathews-Dickey Boys' & Girls' Club and City of Hope.
