Denny Matthews
Encyclopedia
Dennis G. "Denny" Matthews (born November 14, 1942) is an American
sportscaster
, best known as a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's
Kansas City Royals
since the team's inception in .
, and attended Illinois Wesleyan University
, where he played baseball
and football
, and belonged to the Sigma Chi
Fraternity. He worked for local radio and television
stations in Peoria
and St. Louis
before his hiring by the Royals.
. In , the two also teamed up to write a book called Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio, which recounts anecdotes from those seasons. Matthews also called baseball events for the national CBS Radio
network in the 1980s.
In 1999, the Royals fired White and replaced him with the younger Ryan Lefebvre
. Despite a tremendous age difference, Matthews and Lefebvre integrated their styles well and their dry wit and rapport became popular with Royals fans.
In 2008, Matthews cut back on his broadcast schedule, traveling to fewer road games, turning many of those chores over to Bob Davis and Steve Stewart
(who succeeded Lefebvre in the Royals' radio booth while the latter shifted to television). However, Matthews broadcast the first road trip of that season from Detroit and Minnesota while Davis was broadcasting the Kansas Jayhawks
' run to the national championship. Matthews handled most of the home schedule and much of the September slate, when Davis turned his attention to broadcasting Jayhawks
football games.
Matthews' broadcasts and longevity have made him a popular figure in Kansas City
. Baseball historian and statistician Bill James
is among his fans, and has written:
Matthews' tenure with the Royals, at 42 years and counting, is the fourth-longest tenure with one team of any current Major League Baseball announcer, trailing only those of Los Angeles Dodgers
broadcasters Vin Scully
(1950-present) and Jaime Jarrin
(1959-present) and New York Mets
broadcaster Ralph Kiner
(1962-present).
on July 29, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, best known as a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
since the team's inception in .
Early history
Matthews grew up in Bloomington, IllinoisBloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, and attended Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University is an independent undergraduate university located in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856...
, where he played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, and belonged to the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
Fraternity. He worked for local radio and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
stations in Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
before his hiring by the Royals.
Broadcast career
Matthews has broadcast for the Royals since their inception in 1969, when he teamed with Bud Blattner. From to – a stretch that includes the best seasons in the Royals' history – Matthews was paired with Fred WhiteFred White (sportscaster)
Fred White is a former American sportscaster.He previously called Kansas City Royals games for 25 years, from 1973 to 1998. In addition, he was the voice of the Kansas State Wildcats for many years, as well as being the sports anchor at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas...
. In , the two also teamed up to write a book called Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio, which recounts anecdotes from those seasons. Matthews also called baseball events for the national CBS Radio
Major League Baseball on CBS Radio
Major League Baseball on CBS Radio was the de facto title for the CBS Radio Network's coverage of Major League Baseball. Produced by CBS Radio Sports , the program was the official national radio broadcaster for the All-Star Game and the postseason from 1976 to 1997.-Contracts:CBS first covered...
network in the 1980s.
In 1999, the Royals fired White and replaced him with the younger Ryan Lefebvre
Ryan Lefebvre
Ryan Lefebvre is an American sportscaster, best known as a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals since 1999. In 2008, he became the primary announcer for Royals' television broadcasts on Fox Sports Kansas City...
. Despite a tremendous age difference, Matthews and Lefebvre integrated their styles well and their dry wit and rapport became popular with Royals fans.
In 2008, Matthews cut back on his broadcast schedule, traveling to fewer road games, turning many of those chores over to Bob Davis and Steve Stewart
Steve Stewart
Steve Stewart is an American sportscaster, currently serving as a pregame host and play-by-play announcer on the Kansas City Royals Radio Network...
(who succeeded Lefebvre in the Royals' radio booth while the latter shifted to television). However, Matthews broadcast the first road trip of that season from Detroit and Minnesota while Davis was broadcasting the Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks Basketball
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks and is one of the most successful and prestigious programs in the history of college basketball...
' run to the national championship. Matthews handled most of the home schedule and much of the September slate, when Davis turned his attention to broadcasting Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
football games.
Matthews' broadcasts and longevity have made him a popular figure in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Baseball historian and statistician Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
is among his fans, and has written:
Matthews' tenure with the Royals, at 42 years and counting, is the fourth-longest tenure with one team of any current Major League Baseball announcer, trailing only those of Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
broadcasters Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
(1950-present) and Jaime Jarrin
Jaime Jarrin
Jaime Jarrin is the Spanish language voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He began broadcasting for the Dodgers in 1959, and was the 1998 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame...
(1959-present) and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
broadcaster Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner
Ralph McPherran Kiner is an American former Major League Baseball player and has been an announcer for the New York Mets since the team's inception. Though injuries forced his retirement from active play after 10 seasons, Kiner's tremendous slugging outpaced nearly all of his National League...
(1962-present).
Awards
On February 23, 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee announced that Matthews would receive its Ford C. Frick AwardFord C. Frick Award
The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball." It is named for Ford Christopher Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball...
on July 29, 2007.