Mike Shannon was the voice of the Cardinals from 1971 to 2021. He was 83.
Sam Clancy at KSDK:
ST. LOUIS — Mike Shannon, the St. Louis native who became the voice of his hometown team for 50 years, has died. He was 83.
The team confirmed the news Sunday afternoon.
Shannon was born and raised in St. Louis, graduating from CBC High School in 1957 and attended the University of Missouri for a year before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958. He made his Major League debut in 1962 and played his entire career with the Cardinals.
After a nine-year career with two World Series championships, Shannon retired in 1970, and began his broadcasting career on KMOX in 1971.
In his 50-year broadcasting career, he was beloved for his quirky turns of phrase that became known as Shannonisms. He could be heard on many summer and fall nights willing a long fly ball to "get up baby, get up."
He was on the mic for World Series championships, pennant chases and the legendary home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in the summer of 1998, when McGwire broke Roger Maris' decades-old, single-season home run record.
In August of 2021, Shannon said a bout with COVID-19 put him in a coma for "a long time, too long" and that he was still feeling the impact of his near-death experience almost a year later as a COVID long-hauler. He would retire as the voice of the Cardinals at the end of the 2021 season after a 50 year career.
As for his legacy, Shannon said in 2021 that it was pretty simple.
Longtime former Cardinals radio announcer Mike Shannon passed away at 83.
