Hall of Fame Honors Baseball Broadcaster Gene Elston

Gene Elston is the 2006 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award, which honors contributions to baseball broadcasting.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced the winner.
“In addition to serving as the lead voice of Houston baseball, beginning with the Colt .45s in 1962, through 1986, Elston also broadcast for CBS Radio’s ‘Game of the Week,’ Mutual Radio’s ‘Game of the Day’ and the Chicago Cubs,” the organization stated.
Elston begain in broadcasting in 1941 with high-school basketball, and broke into baseball in 1946 with the Waterloo White Hawks of the Three I League. He started with the Cubs in radio in 1954 and joined Mutual’s Game of the Day several years later.
Partners in Houston over 25 years included Loel Passe, Al Helfer, Harry Kalas, Bob Prince, Dewayne Staats and Larry Dierker.
Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey said in the statement, “Today, the Houston-area is one the real baseball hotbeds in the country, and Gene’s influence for a quarter of a century is largely responsible.”
Elston was chosen from among 10 finalists who included Tom Cheek, Ken Coleman, Dizzy Dean, Jacques Doucet, Bill King, Tony Kubek, Denny Matthews, Graham McNamee, and Dave Niehaus.