Former W&J athlete, radio pioneer Helfer honored with baseball’s Frick Award
George Alvin “Al” Helfer, Jr., who called games for eight teams and became nationally renowned for his radio work on the Mutual Game of the Day in the 1950s, was selected Wednesday as the 2019 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Helfer will be recognized posthumously during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 20, as part of Hall of Fame Weekend 2019. Helfer becomes the 43rd winner of the Frick Award, as he earned the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 15-member Frick Award Committee.
Born in 1911 in Elrama, Helfer was a first baseman at Washington & Jefferson College who also lettered in football, basketball and track. He was offered a pro contract to play baseball by Philadelphia Athletics manager and future Hall of Famer Connie Mack in 1935, but turned it down to focus on his broadcasting career.
The final ballot featured broadcasters whose main contributions were realized as broadcasting pioneers, identified as the Broadcasting Beginnings ballot. The eight finalists were: Connie Desmond, Pat Flanagan, Jack Graney, Harry Heilmann, Waite Hoyt, Rosey Rowswell, Ty Tyson and Helfer.
“Al Helfer helped grow interest in baseball exponentially as the voice of Mutual Game of the Day radio broadcasts during the sport’s golden days of the 1950s,” said Jeff Idelson, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “Working in the dominant broadcasting medium with television in its infancy, Helfer was known as ‘Mr. Radio Baseball’ bringing game action into living rooms across the country every week. A true fan of the game, Helfer’s work with eight teams over four decades connected listeners in their markets to their team’s heroes, as baseball spread its reach throughout America and around the world. His passion and delivery made him one of the iconic voices of his era.”
Helfer started in radio at the age of 16, and by 1933 he was calling games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After two seasons with the Pirates, Helfer spent two years calling Cincinnati Reds games before two years with the New York Yankees and three seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers alongside future Frick Award winner Red Barber. Helfer and Barber combined to form one of the first play-by-play teams in the booth, a departure from the days when broadcasters worked alone.