Semi OT: Frank Beckmann Retires, Final Live Broadcast Airing Until 12 Noon
Frank Beckmann, long-time voice of Michigan Football, is retiring today after decades of broadcasting. Most memorable for being the play-by-play voice of Michigan Football, Beckmann also called Detroit Tigers and Lions games during his long broadcasting career.
I had completely forgotten about his impending retirement after reading of it a few months ago, until my brother texted me 50 minutes ago and I then tuned in at home for the first time ever to his WJR radio show.
What a great radio voice Frank had while broadcasting some of our favorite sports teams. It demanded a man of rare talent to be successful in taking over not just for the incomparable Bob Ufer but also years later for the beloved Ernie Harwell, and Beckmann pulled it off.
Ufe has been gone since October 1981 and Beckmann, while not as beloved as Ufer (who could be??), immediately fit right in. His final Michigan Football broadcast was in 2013, BTW.
When I first tuned in before 11 Lloyd Carr was talking to Beckmann and earlier Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson were on the air. Several others of local sports fame have also called in to chat today.
Good luck and a long healthy retirement to him!
March 26th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
I think Beckmann's old Sportswrap show on WJR was the first sports talk show I ever listened to. He was a damn good sports talk show guy.
My college years began in '71 with Ufer calling the games on WPAG, and as Michigan rose to national prominence under Bo, so did Ufer. Nobody will ever surpass his over-the-top enthusiasm for Michigan football, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Ufer had a hand in making Michigan football so popular, especially after he moved to WJR in '77.
Beckmann had incredibly big shoes to fill, and RobF is absolutely right—he fit right in.
In fact, he fit so well that I'll make a statement that's probably heretical to my generation of Michigan football fans: in terms of calling the play-by-play—describing exactly what's going on down on the field, what player is doing what, when, and how, with no awkward silences or repetitions—Beckmann was much better than Ufer, even when he was at the end of his Michigan broadcasting career in 2013.
Listening to Michigan radio play-by-play after Beckmann has been torture.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:04 PM ^
i am in lock-step with all of that, so call me a 'hairy tick' also. beckman did a great job, a job so good that no matter now much we all love jim brandstatter as a person/alum, it simply highlights how horrible brandstatter is at P-B-P work.
Who was it who did Play by play on UOM with Tom Slade?
That would have been Tom Hemingway, who I think did Michigan play-by-play on WUOM from the mid 60s until the end of the Bo era. Very good broadcaster but always overshadowed by Bob Ufer.
I was too young to listen to Ufer live, so for me Beckmann was the voice of Michigan football. I feel like he never quite got his due because he succeeded such an icon. He was consistently good at keeping the listener informed and made plenty of memorable calls.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
Maybe someone will send him a bucket of fried chicken?
March 26th, 2021 at 12:17 PM ^
He's been gone that long already and we still haven't found someone better than Brandy to do play by play? Jesus H.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:25 PM ^
As a nuts-and-bolts play by play guy there were not many better than Beckmann.
"Polish off the Heisman! Make room on the mantle! Charles Woodson took it away!"
Still gives you chills every time you hear it.
And “Denard Robinson, shoelaces flopping in the wind!”
March 26th, 2021 at 12:47 PM ^
Along with Beckmann: Bruce Martyn, Dave Strater/Mickey Redmond, Ernie Harwell/Paul Carey, George Kell/Al Kaline, Mark Champion, and George Blaha were the voices of my youth. We were very lucky in Michigan to have these guys.
Unfortunately, I was too young to hear Ufer.
He sure wasn't missed after leaving M-Football. I have travelled quite a bit and have listened to a number of broadcasters over the years. In this area we were stuck with two of the absolute worst in Beckmann and Blaha.
I will never miss the man.
Completely disagree. Beckmann was a great announcer. Brandstetter is horrible at PBP.
That’s crazy talk. Beckmann was a really good PBP guy, a worthy successor to Ufer. We have not replaced him at all.
Great announcer, terrible opinions, but by God get Brandy off of PBP.
I didn't always agree with Beckman's outspoken political views, but he was on hell of an announcer for everything he called and I respect him for that. Thank you Frank!
Beckmann was a great play by play announcer. Thereafter, he sunk into a political abyss.