Earl Gillespie

Earl Gillespie

Earl W. Gillespie (July 25, 1922, Chicago, Illinois – December 12, 2003, West Allis, Wisconsin) was an American sportscaster, best known as the radio voice of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Braves from 1953 to 1963.

Gillespie was partnered with Blaine Walsh and known for his dramatic, extroverted style of play-by-play and his use of the phrase "Holy cow!" during moments of great excitement (an on-air catchphrase he shared with fellow baseball announcers Harry Caray and Phil Rizzuto).

Gillespie called both of the Braves' World Series appearances in Milwaukee (1957, 1958) over NBC radio, as well as the 1955 All-Star Game (played in Milwaukee) over Mutual radio. He also did radio and television commentary for the Green Bay Packers, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He worked at WITI-TV in Milwaukee from 1963 until his retirement in 1985.

Gillespie was named Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year eight times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

Earl's son John Sr., and grandson John Jr. are also Wisconsin sportscasters, with the younger John Gillespie currently ended his employment with WBAY-TV in Green Bay in late July 2010.