A Legacy Honored
Renowned broadcaster Joe Buck received the 2026 Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame this past Saturday in Cooperstown. Buck, who served as the primary play-by-play voice for Fox Sports’ MLB coverage from 1996 to 2021, famously called 135 World Series contests during his tenure. In 2022, he transitioned to ESPN to helm the Monday Night Football broadcast team, paving the way for Joe Davis to take over as the lead voice of MLB on Fox.
The Childhood Inspiration
During a recent broadcast of the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, Davis took a moment to honor his predecessor. While speaking with broadcast partner John Smoltz, Davis recounted a pivotal moment from his youth that shaped his professional ambitions:
«I was a 12 or 13-year-old kid. I remember sitting there watching the World Series. And my mom asked me; she happened to ask, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ And I knew sort of what I wanted to do, but I remember pointing to the TV and saying, ‘That. I want to be just like him. I want to be like Joe Buck.»
Davis noted that at the time, Buck was calling the 2001 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He concluded his tribute by expressing gratitude to Buck for demonstrating the standard of excellence required for the profession.
Mutual Respect
The admiration is reciprocal. During his acceptance speech in Cooperstown, Buck reflected on his long career at Fox and voiced his confidence in the future of the network’s broadcasts, stating, «Oh, and the job is in great hands at Fox with my friend Joe Davis.» This is not the first time Buck has publicly commended Davis for his work behind the microphone, cementing a professional bond built on mutual respect.