Lou Boudreau
Cubs Baseball Announcer

Lou Boudreau was born on July 17, 1917, in Harvey, Illinois. He graduated from Thronton High School in Harvey and the University of Illinois, excelling in sports at both schools. He quickly made a name for himself in the professional ranks, playing his first game with the Cleveland Indians in 1938 and joining the team full-time in 1940 as shortstop.

One of Lou’s most remarkable on-field accomplishments occurred in 1942 when, at the age of 24, he was named player-manager and became the youngest person to manage a major league team for a full season. In 1948, the Indians, under Lou’s leadership, won the World Series. During that season, Boudreau recorded a career high .355 average with 18 home runs, 106 runs batted in, 199 hits, and just nine strikeouts. He went 4 for 4 with two home runs in a one-game playoff with Boston for the league championship that year and was named American League MVP. He was also a seven-time All Star. His number 5 was retired by the Cleveland Indians.

Boudreau’s baseball career continued with player and manager assignments with the Boston Red Sox and a period as manager of the Kansas City Athletics. In 1958, Lou moved to the broadcast booth for the Chicago Cubs. With the exception of the 1960 season, when he managed the Cubs, Boudreau remained in the booth until 1987. During nearly three decades, he worked with such broadcast legends as Jack Quinlan, Jack Brickhouse and Vince Lloyd. The “good kid,” as he was known, was popular with listeners because of his personality and knowledge of the game and was also known for the cow bell he would ring to celebrate Cub home runs or other exciting moments.

Following his retirement, Boudreau along with Brickhouse and Lloyd returned to the Wrigley Field booth on several occasions for reunion broadcasts on “1970’s Nights.” Lou was married for over 60 years to Della, until her death in 1999. They had four children, 15 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. He died on August 10, 2001.

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Roy Leonard
Host

Audio Archive | WGN Leonard Memories

Visit RoyLeonard.com for Roy’s blog, photos, video and more audio archives

Roy Leonard worked for WGN Radio as host 1967-1998. He focused on “The World of Entertainment,” featuring movie and theater reviews, contemporary music, and interviews with many of the biggest names in entertainment during the three decades of his program.

Biography

“Hello, from Chicago.”

Roy Leonard joined WGN Radio in 1967. During his 31-year career at the station, his radio shows and regular appearances as host and arts critic on television made him one of Chicago’s most popular sources of information and entertainment.

The question most often asked during his career was, “How does he do it?” Roy actually read the book before he interviewed the author. He saw every major movie and play and attended concerts regularly. Such dedication caused personalities such as Sally Field, Quincy Jones, Shirley MacLaine and Charles Kuralt to rate Roy, “the best in his field.” And, many of his radio colleagues remain in awe of Roy’s ability to turn the reading of a script into a friendly chat with his audience.

Roy Leonard

An important aspect of “The Roy Leonard Show” was the introduction of new artists. Listeners to WGN Radio were the first to hear such diverse talents as Harry Connick, Jr., Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and Carly Simon. Listeners were also treated to relaxing, in depth conversations with a guest list that reads like an international “Who’s Who” with such stars as Clint Eastwood, Isabella Rossellini, Tom Cruise, Linda Ronstadt, John Cusack, Jimmy Stewart and Ella Fitzgerald.For diversity, Roy frequently took his show on the road with trips to Europe. His program originated from London and Moscow and, in the United States, New York, the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Roy’s listeners often traveled with him as he and his wife, Shelia, hosted their annual London Theater Tour in October. They also treated their tour members to a food and wine excursion in France, a trip to Norway for the Bergen Music Festival, an Alaskan Cruise, a week in the Netherlands for the 100th anniversary celebration of Vincent Van Gogh and three memorable excursions behind the Iron Curtain before the Soviet coup. At least twice a year, the Leonards offered a New York theater weekend and trips to Canada’s Shaw and Stratford Festivals.

On WGN-TV, Roy’s movie and theater reviews were a regular feature on the Channel Nine News. From October to April of each year, he hosted Family Classics on Sunday afternoons, bringing to the home audience the great films ranging from Robin Hood and Boys Town to The Music Man and Benji. His specials on New Year’s Day garnered great ratings opposite the deluge of football bowl games. In April, 1998, Roy hosted WGN-TV’s 50th Anniversary special.

Roy’s innovative career began in the early fifties at a station in Salem, Massachusetts after attendance at Boston’s Emerson College. His success in the commercial market however, was interrupted by Uncle Sam, and a stint in the United States Air Force found him in Nome, Alaska, at an Armed Forces Radio Station. When his duty expired, Roy returned to radio in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, followed by a job in Framingham MA., as an on-air personality and program director.

It was in Framingham that Roy was asked to appear in a local stage production by the Civic League Players. After passing the casting director’s audition, he asked her for a date and a year later, on October 11, 1953, Sheila Marie Finn became Mrs. Roy Leonard. The first of their six sons, Kip, was born in 1955, and the following year Roy joined WHDH Radio and TV in Boston, where he hosted two daily radio shows and presented the nightly news on television. In 1958, he joined WNAC Radio and TV in Boston as host of the Morning Show on AM radio and anchor on the Early Evening TV News. He also hosted “Yankee Camera,” a Sunday news magazine program on television.

Other Leonard lads arrived in 1956 (Kerry), 1957 (Kolin), 1958 (Kent), 1962 (Kyle), and 1966 (Kelly) and in 1967, along with their six K’s, Shelia and Roy moved to Chicago and the long association with WGN Radio was underway.

After six sons, the Leonards now have eight grandchildren who are frequent visitors to their North Shore home, as all the boys have remained in the Chicago area in such diverse professions as education, architecture, retailing, banking, publishing and theater.

Roy served on the Midwest Board of the American Foundation for the Blind. He is a past President of the Red Cloud Athletic Fund and a board member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. His interest in food and wine led to membership of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society and the Chaine de Rotisseurs.

In 1992, Roy won the prestigious Peter Lisagor Award for Criticism. He also holds a Grammy Award Certificate for his contribution as emcee for the “Tribute To Steve Goodman” and the 1986 Grammy Winning Best Contemporary Folk Recording. From the music industry’s leading trade magazine, Billboard, Roy was honored with Best Feature Radio Programming of the Year for his two hour special with Linda Ronstadt.

As Roy’s radio career neared its end, he hosted a special farewell show from the Museum of Broadcast Communications. A week later, on December, 26, 1998, Roy was joined by Sheila in Studio A for his final regularly scheduled broadcast. But, it was not his final appearance on the station. His Christmas specials have remained a staple of WGN’s holiday line-up. And, in August, 2003, Roy returned to the microphone for part of an afternoon to reminisce with listeners and remind us all of his unique talents.

In October, 1999, Roy was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Radio Broadcasting by the Chicagoland A.I.R. Awards Board of Governors.

“Trying to be right keeps you wrong.”

Doug Harris takes the last bit of the show to share with the importance of remaining flexible as we move forward in our lives.

Today on the Diversity Hour of Power, David Hochberg and Doug Harris, CEO of the Kaleidoscope Group, discuss the current work environment with four unique generations (traditionalist, baby boomer, generation x, and generation y/millennial) that co-exist.  They are joined by Jerod Harris, Kisha Keeney, and Annie Rosendich to weigh in on the conversation from the perspectives of different generations and talk about how all of their particular experiences can be leveraged to benefit them and their company.

Roy Leonard

Biography | WGN Memories

Visit RoyLeonard.com for Roy’s blog and video and more audio archives

Roy Leonard
Host

Biography | Audio Archives

Visit RoyLeonard.com for Roy’s blog, photos, video and more audio archives

WGN Memories

THE POWER OF THOSE MAGIC CALL LETTERS – WGN

When I joined WGN in 1967 I had no idea of the recognition and respect that those call letters represented, not only in Chicago, but around the world. And it didn’t take long to realize that a lot of personal responsibility went along with this association. In over 30 years on the air many opportunities arose to thank the community for their loyal listening.

One of the more popular features, the annual Christmas Phone Calls, gave us all more than a few cherished memories. Producer Peter Marino came up with the idea of allowing listeners to call anyone, anywhere in the world at Christmastime and we would pay for the call. They could talk privately for ten or fifteen minutes, as long as we could broadcast the initial few minutes of their conversation to catch the surprise and then later, find out about the recipient of the call, the country they lived in and how they were to celebrate the holiday. The letters requesting the phone calls poured in. These were the days before international calling was so easy and relatively inexpensive.

We listened in as a mother talked to her daughter, a helicopter pilot serving along the DMZ in Korea. A couple in Amsterdam were able to talk with a Jewish couple they had hidden from the Nazi’s during WW II. And we reunited a Chicago family with their daughter married to a member of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard and living in Rome.

Roy Leonard

Back in the late 70’s we came up with a baseball game that culminated with a trip to the World Series. We had 25 prerecorded plays from actual Cub games, and the listener could pick three of them. If you scored a run, you were a winner and got prizes from our sponsor, True Value Hardware Stores, and tickets to a game. At the end of the season we played for a trip for two to the World Series, all expenses paid.

We did a similar promotion with the Oscars and a movie trivia quiz. The winner got a trip to Hollywood and tickets to the Oscar Ceremony. This lasted quite a few years, until the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cracked down on any promotional use of Oscar tickets.

Of all the things we were able to do for our listeners, however, the most memorable occurred in my last year at WGN. Shortly after talking about a trip we were to take to the Netherlands and France, I received an E-mail from Donald Hill in Morris, Illinois, that read as follows:

“Dear Mr. Leonard,
I listen to your travel shows on Sunday with great interest. Your previous interview with the gentleman from Maastricht, Holland was of particular interest.
My father is buried there. He was buried in Maargarten National Cemetery in May of 1945 when I was ten years old and I have never had the opportunity to visit his grave site.
What I am asking, Mr. Leonard, would it be possible for you to have flowers placed at the grave site on my behalf? This would mean a lot to me and my adult children.”

I was surprised at how easy it was to make the arrangements. Our travel guide, Deborah Kash, contacted the American Military Cemetery just outside Maastricht, and I was amazed at the care and concern they showed. On the morning of September 23rd in 1998, our tour coach with thirty travelers was met by the American officer in charge of the cemetery. They had a beautiful bouquet of flowers at ready and led our group to the grave site, just one of 8301, all marked by marble crosses. A cemetery worker had a pail of sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy and he brushed the sand onto the stone’s lettering, which had faded slightly, so it would be easily visible for picture taking. From the towering carillon above the nearby chapel came the Netherlands’ national anthem, followed by our Star Spangled Banner and then a few words from one of our group, Major General Jack Frisbie, USMCR (Ret). Jack and his wife were regular travelers on many of our tours. In addition to the floral decoration I had some mementos that Donald had given me to leave at his Dad’s grave and after the playing of taps, we slowly returned to our coach.

A few weeks after our return, my wife Sheila and I drove to Morris one Sunday afternoon with pictures and a video tape that Joe Taylor, another member of our group, had taken and I must admit it was an emotional, but very satisfying visit.

The years spent on the air at WGN have provided many rich and rewarding experiences and I just can’t imagine this happening at any other radio station.

Jay Andres
Host

Jay Andres hosted overnight music program (known as The Jay Andres Show, Music ’til Dawn and Great Music from Chicago depending on the year) during much of the 1970’s into the early 1980’s.

John Almburg
Assistant Farm Services Director

John Almburg worked with Orion Samuelson for many years in WGN’s Farm Services department and as the co-host fo Conty Fair.

John Almburg (L) with Orion Samuelson

Jim Loughman
News Anchor

Jim Loughman was news anchor and sidekick to Bob Collins during his afternoon show, where he was fondly referred to as “Lockjaw.” He also hosted his own Sunday midday show.

Bob Collins and Jim Loughman

Jim Cavanaugh
Trafficopter reporter

Jim Cavanaugh was a Trafficopter reporter (1970s-mid 1980s) who flew over Chicago’s expressways during both morning and afternoon rush hours.

John (Speed) Harrington
Sports host

John Harrington, also known as “Speed”, was the host of WGN Radio’s Sport Review in the 1930s.

John Camden
Trafficopter reporter

John Camden was a trafficopter reporter.

John Mallow
Host and Announcer

John Mallow joined WGN in 1943. He hosted various programs including “Music Unlimited”.

Larry Caine
Market Reporter

Larry Caine delivered market reports from the Chicago Stock Yards.

Larry Schreiner
Reporter

WGN Memories

IT ALL started on April 5, 1968. I was a young Chicago police officer who had decided about a month before this to start taking freelance news film of events in the Chicago area. I was planning on selling that film to WGN TV. It was a Friday and the looting and burning and shooting had begun on the west side of Chicago after Martin Luther King died. I went to the top of an apartment building with some Chicago firemen and because I was so engrossed with what I was doing I did not realize they were smart enough to bail off the roof due to the dangerous conditions. I would take my film into the WGN TV news room at which time the then news director asked me to go up in the helicopter to shoot some more film. Who would have ever known that all those thirty plus years would be spent with the Tribune company in one way or another.

Seeing that most of those years were spent with WGN Radio I thought I would tell you how it was to work with some real giants of the business.

WALLY PHILLIPS–Wally was “my clout” shall we say. If it was not for him giving me the chance to do what I do I would not be where I am today. He supported me, he fought for me and he encouraged me when some, well many, thought having a man with no journalism training on the greatest radio station was foolish. Together we broke so many big stories. We used the radio listeners to give us tips and they might get a scarf as a thanks. Some people thought that was stupid but let me tell you those listeners were the eyes and ears for WGN Radio and to Wally I will always be grateful. Wally had a simple idea–give the listeners the news when it happened and not wait till the hour or half hour as some do. You produced and Wally was your friend and supporter. If you did not, he had no use for you. He expected the best from you and by golly you gave it to him.

ROY LEONARD–You listeners might not remember Roy for his news sense but I can guarantee you he had it. We never talked off the air. I would call directly to him through his producer and off we went. When Mayor Harold Washington collapsed on his office floor we had it on the radio within maybe 4 minutes. When Laurie Dann killed that child in Winnetka we had it on the radio within a few minutes. As that story unfolded Roy let me do my stuff and we had the correct and accurate information before anyone else. Roy allowed me time when necessary and you the listeners benefited.

BOB COLLINS–First story I ever did with Bob was the crash of American Airlines 191 at O’Hare. I hope that Bob isn’t mad at me for not doing my job when I bailed out of covering the story of his death when I discovered it was him. You never knew what to expect from Bob. Never ever rehearsed a story. I told one joke on his show and almost got fired and there were no nasty words. It was about motorcycles. Bob would tell us that if there was a big weather story the weather people had the show. Traffic or sports the same. And when I got a biggie Bob wanted to know it all and he wanted right. He never pulled any punches. He would go after me on the radio if he thought I screwed up or he did not like what I had said. We took boat rides–I broke my knee. We went to amusement parks–I left in an ambulance with a real bad kidney stone attack. Both times Bob was in charge. He told the fire people how they should treat me and the next day on the radio he would say thanks. No matter what happened working with Bob or driving in a demolition derby or wrestling a real big wrestler at a county fair on Bob’s suggestion or even milking a pig it was fun and never ever boring.

Even though the majority of my stories are not pleasant, I have tried to do them all with class and dignity. I want you, the listener, to have the opportunity to know what is going on around you. I try to do it without sensationalizing–just telling you the facts. You people have called me many things, but hopefully never boring. I want you to feel as though you are with me on the streets and in the alleys.

Stick around. I don’t want you to miss a thing.

Take care and please be safe.

Len Johnson
Announcer/Newscaster/Sports Play-By-Play Announcer

Len Johnson joined WGN Radio & Television in 1962 as Staff Announcer. He was radio newscaster for the Wally Phillips morning show from 1967 through much of 1975. From 1965-1976, Johnson handled numerous Cubs baseball games on both radio & TV (primarily the latter) as play-by-play fill in working along side Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau. Len’s “It’s Gone” saying became widely known when a home run was hit.

Len Jonson as worked as the fill in play-by-play announcer for Bears football on radio throughout the years. He was Play-by-play announcer on Bulls basketball when the team was new in 1966 on both radio and television. Johnson also was the announcer/director for Ray Grey on The Great Outdoors show on Saturday mornings, 1975-1981. He also performed daily announcing duties such as dozens of commercials and newscasts on both radio & television.

Biography

Following service in the U.S. Army during World War II, Len Johnson began his broadcasting career working at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago on the studio set-up crew for NBC Radio and occasional work with the ABC Radio Network. Len’s on-air career began at WLPO Radio in LaSalle/Peru, Illinois. From there, stops included WFDF Radio in Flint, Michigan, WLAP Radio and WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, WTOP-TV, in Washington, DC, and KDKA-TV and WIIC-TV (now WPXI-TV) in Pittsburgh.

In 1962 Len returned to his home town of Chicago accepting a most sought after position as Staff Announcer at WGN Radio & Television. After his very successful 19-year career at WGN, Len held various announcing duties at WAIT Radio in Chicago from 1981-1986 mainly as music host handling afternoon drive at the Big Band/Adult Standards formatted station.

(Photos and biography courtesy of Kevin McCarthy)

Photo Gallery

Marc Trestman shakes Sean Payton’s hand after the game. (John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune)

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears tried a fake punt with 10 players on the field.

This column could theoretically end here and it would be a perfect summation of the entire 2014 Bears season, but if it ended here, we couldn’t fully appreciate what has to be one of the worst plays in the history of football.

Not just the NFL. Football.

So what went wrong on the second quarter fake punt in the midst of Monday night’s 31-15 loss to the New Orleans Saints?

Well, for starters, let’s get back to the fact that there were only 10 Bears players on the field. That’s usually not a good strategy when attempting to execute a successful football play. More times than not, the opposing team has 11 players on the field, which is one more than 10.

But only having 10 players on the field is not illegal. Lining up with only six players on the line of scrimmage, however, is — which is why the Bears were flagged for an illegal formation.

Then there’s the issue of personnel. The Bears had four offensive linemen on the field, three of which are starters. If that’s not a red flag that a fake might be coming, I don’t know what is.

Not surprisingly, the Saints kept eight players in the box near the line of scrimmage. This left the Bears badly out-numbered on what was essentially a run up the middle on 4th-and-3.

And the down-and-distance is another issue. A run straight up the middle on 4th-and-3 is pretty risky, especially at your own 39-yard-line. Fourth-and-1 would be a different story.

But lets get back to the formation. The Bears only had 10 players on the field and two gunners were split out wide, one to each side. That left six players to block (from left-to-right: long snapper Jeremy Cain, left tackle Jermon Bushrod, left guard Ryan Groy, right guard Kyle Long, reserve offensive lineman Charles Leno and tight end Dante Rosario). Behind the line of scrimmage was up-back Danny McCray and the punter, Pat O’Donnell.

If you’re paying close attention so far, you’ll notice that the long snapper was lined up to the left of the left tackle. So who snapped the football? That would be left guard Ryan Groy, who has also served as Roberto Garza’s backup at center in recent weeks. The problem is, on this play, Groy only had one hand on the ball. Typically, you long-snap with two hands. Another dead give-away.

You’ve also probably noticed that I haven’t mentioned anyone who typically runs with the football in his hands. That’s because McCray, a safety, took the snap and served as the running back.

And when’s the last time McCray took a carry?

“The seventh grade. And I fumbled,” McCray told 87.7 The Game. “So they moved me to fullback.”

Now, lets get to the execution of the play. When the ball was snapped, Rosario was a little late to react, which basically made him useless as a blocker. As a result, the Bears ended up with only five blockers against an eight-man box.

And a safety running the football.

The illegal formation, of course, would have wiped out the play even if it had worked, but the Saints stopped McCray short so they were able to decline the penalty and take over possession at the Bears’ 41-yard-line.

So, just to recap, the Bears tried to run a fake punt with:

1. Only 10 players on the field.

2. Only six players on the line of scrimmage, which is illegal.

3. The long snapper lined up to the left and four offensive linemen on the field.

4. The starting left guard/backup center snapping the football with only one hand on the ball.

5. A safety carrying the football.

6. A tight end who reacted slowly to the snap.

7. Five blockers against eight defenders on a 4th-and-3 run.

And it didn’t work?

It’s unclear who was missing in the punt formation, mainly because no one was willing to sell out the guilty party after the game, but also because the Bears did not have their normal punt personnel on the field. McCray did say, however, that it was a blocker, which at least insults everybody’s football intelligence a little less. He also said that he realized before the snap that they were missing a player, but he called for the snap anyway.

“Probably should have just taken the delay. Shouldn’t have snapped it,” McCray said.

Probably should have thrown this play design in the trash too, but that’s not McCray’s fault.

Of course, a coach on the sideline could have called timeout. The head coach immediately comes to mind, but he also could have received some help from special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, who installed the odd play and had to know they were a man short. Right? Or did no one on the sidelines realize there were only 10 players on the field and only six on the line of scrimmage?

“I’m not going to go through the litany of all that,” Bears head coach Marc Trestman said when asked what went wrong on the play. “You have a right to ask the question, but it’s really simple. We should have 11 players, but we had 10. I’m responsible for that.”

The play wasn’t just a new low for the league’s worst special teams’ unit, but it was also the perfect snapshot of the 2014 Chicago Bears.

This team isn’t just finding out how many ways they can screw up a season, now they’re finding out how many ways they can screw up one play.

And yes, Marc Trestman, you are responsible for that.

Adam Hoge covers the Bears for 87.7 The Game and TheGameChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.