Chick Hearn

Born

1916-11-27

Died

2002-08-05

Birthplace

Buda, Illinois, U.S.

Biography

Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn (November 27, 1916 – August 5, 2002) was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 41 years. Hearn is remembered for his rapid-fire, staccato broadcasting style, associated with colorful phrases such as slam dunk, air ball, and no harm, no foul that has become common basketball vernacular. Hearn broadcast 3,338 consecutive Lakers games starting on November 21, 1965. Most of Hearn's 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.