Major Works
Red Barber
- When All Hell Broke Loose in Baseball (1947)
- The Broadcasters
- Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat
- Show me the way to go home
Biography of Walter “Red” Barber
by Aaron Ainsworth (SHS)
Walter Lanier Barber, a famed baseball broadcaster, was born in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1908. He was best known by his nickname Red. He studied English education at the University of Florida in the 1920’s. It was at the University of Florida where he found his calling to be a radio broadcaster. Red filled in for a reporter at the university’s radio station (WRUF), and this temporary position made him realize that he wanted to pursue broadcasting as a career. In 1930 Barber accepted a full-time position with WRUF. He stayed there for four years.
Barber’s career as a broadcaster lasted thirty-eight years. He worked with several different major sports organizations including the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, and the New York Yankees. While with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Barber had a major part in shaping the baseball world’s reaction to Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color barrier in major league baseball. Barber contributed to a book about Jackie Robinson entitled The Jackie Robinson Reader: Perspectives on an American Hero.
During his career, Barber received numerous honors and awards. These included the Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcasting Excellence, induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Florida, the Gold Award by the Florida Association of Broadcasters, and induction into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.
Along with Walter Lanier “Red” Barber’s career as a sports broadcaster, he also wrote books. . The first book he released was called When All Hell Broke Loose In Baseball. He also followed up by writing three books called The Broadcasters, Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat, and Show me the way to go home.
SHS Student Aaron Ainsworth
Walter Red Barber retired from broadcasting in 1972, but he returned to his calling in 1980 as a sports commentator. Red Barber died in 1992 in Tallahassee, Florida.
Timeline
1908 — Born in Columbus, Mississippi.
1920 — Studied English education at the University of Florida.
1930 — Accepted a full-time position with WRUF.
1933 — Became a baseball radio broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds.
1939 — Became the announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers Radio Network.
1949 — Appointed Director of Sports for CBS Radio.
1947 — Released When All Hell Broke Loose In Baseball
1951-1955 — Served as Counselor on Sports for CBS Radio.
1955 — Became the announcer for the New York Yankees.
1972 — Retired.
1978 — Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1979 — Inducted in the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.
1980 — Returned to radio as a sports commentator.
1991 — Won Peabody Award for radio commentary.
1992 — Died in Tallahassee, Florida, on October 22
Related Websites
- http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/manuscript/guides/Barber.htm Papers and books of Barber at the University of Florida.
- Conversations with Red Barber and Bob Edwards, a series of Friday morning talks on Morning Edition (NPR) with sportscasting legend Red Barber. They discussed sports, the weather, Barber’s garden, history, war and social issues.
- How the Jackie Robinson movie got Red Barber wrong.
- Biography of Red Barber from Wikipedia.
Bibliography
- “An epiphany born of Red, white, and black.” Online. 18 May 1999. Available http://www.tdo.com/opinion/carrol/0413carrol.ht
- “Barber, Red,” Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000. http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
- Walter Lanier “Red” Barber. Online. 18 May 1999. Available http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/manuscript/guides/Barber.htm