Chick Hearn

Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn (27 November 1916 - 5 August 2002) was an American sportscaster. Known primarily as the longtime play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, Hearn is remembered for coining the phrases "slam dunk", "air ball", and "no harm, no foul"; and for broadcasting 3,338 consecutive Lakers games starting in 1965. Of note is that most of the games in the television era were simulcast on both radio and television, even after most teams chose to use different announcers for the different media.

Related Topics:
27 November - 1916 - 5 August - 2002 - American - Sportscaster - Play-by-play - Los Angeles Lakers - National Basketball Association - 1965 - Television

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Hearn grew up in Aurora, Illinois near Chicago and attended Bradley University where he earned the nickname "Chick" while an AAU basketball player. One day he was given what appeared to be a shoe box but instead contained a dead chicken.

Related Topics:
Aurora, Illinois - Chicago - Bradley University

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On May 9, 1991 Hearn became the third broadcaster to be inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1995 he was voted to be the twentieth member of the American Sportscaster Hall of Fame by his fellow sportscasters.

Related Topics:
May 9 - 1991 - Basketball Hall of Fame - Springfield, Massachusetts - 1995 - American Sportscaster Hall of Fame

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Hearn's streak of 3,338 consecutive Lakers games came to an end midway through the 2001-02 season when he underwent cardiac bypass surgery. Hearn recovered from his illness and resumed broadcasting that season, receiving a standing ovation fron the Staples Center crowd upon his return. His final game was Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals where the Lakers Defeated the New Jersey Nets to win their third consecutive NBA championship. But, during the summer, Hearn suffered a stroke at his Encino, California home; he fell and was injured.

Related Topics:
Staples Center - NBA Finals - New Jersey Nets - NBA - Encino, California

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Chick Hearn died on August 5, 2002 at the age of eighty-five and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. He was survived by Marge Hearn, his wife of sixty years.

Related Topics:
August 5 - 2002 - Holy Cross Cemetery - Culver City, California

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In honor of his contributions to the Los Angeles Lakers, both the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles renamed a portion of West 11th Street between Figueroa Street and Georgia Street to Chick Hearn Way. This street currently runs alongside Staples Center's main entrance.

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