Tom Cheek

Thomas F. Cheek (June 13, 1939 - October 9, 2005) was an American sportscaster.

Best known as the "Voice of the Blue Jays", Tom announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays on radio from the team's establishment in 1977 until his retirement in 2004, in which he had a 27-year consecutive game streak of 4,306 consecutive games plus 41 post-season games called, which lasted from the first ever Blue Jays game in 1977 to June 3, 2004. Cheek was inducted to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence in 2005 and has since then been nominated numerous times for the Ford C. Frick Award.

Cheek's best-known call was perhaps his description of Joe Carter's dramatic title-clinching home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, when he said, "Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!" He is also author of the book Road to Glory, which chronicled the first 16 years of Blue Jays baseball.

Biography

Early life

Born and raied in the west side of Pensacola, Florida, Cheek, an avid sports fan, was introduced to his first tape recorder at the age of 14, which would lay the foundations for his future in broadcasting. From 1957 to 1960, he served in the U.S. Air Force where he was introduced to the Yankees broadcaster Red Barber. Following his discharge from the armed forces in 1960, Cheek attended the...
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