If you’re an NFL fan, you’re probably familiar with Joe Buck’s voice. He’s been a broadcaster since 1994, and he’s had a legendary career. He was once the youngest person to become a national play-by-play analyst for a major network, and he’s called six Super Bowls, 18 NFC Championships, 23 World Series, and 25 MLB League Championship Series.
Prior to his successful broadcasting career, did Buck play professional football?
Joe Buck’s Path to Broadcasting
While Buck is a household name among football fans, he’s never suited up for an NFL roster, in fact, he didn’t even play football at the collegiate level. Still, Buck was immersed in the league from a young age thanks to his father, the legendary Jack Buck.
Like his son, Jack became a broadcasting icon, best known for his work with the St. Louis Cardinals. Over his storied career, Jack earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Radio Hall of Fame, and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, cementing his place as one of the most celebrated voices in sports history.
Like his father, Joe is a seven-time Emmy Award winner, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the winner of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
Awesome moment as Joe @Buck finds out live on TV that he will be joining his father in the Pro Football Hall of fame!
Congratulations Joe! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hw0ejy2Pnn
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX)
By watching his father’s work and spending a ton of time around professional sports as a kid, Joe knew what he wanted to do from a young age.
Notable Games Buck Has Called in the NFL
While Buck has called countless NFL contests, he’s lent his voice to some of the league’s most memorable contests. Here’s a look back at some of the most notable.
Super Bowl 39: This was FOX’s first Super Bowl without the legendary broadcasting duo of Pat Summerall and John Madden. This was Buck’s first time calling a Super Bowl, and he teamed up with Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth. The New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX, and Pats wide receiver Deion Branch won Super Bowl MVP honors.
Super Bowl 42: Three years later in Glendale, Arizona, Buck once again called the big game. The Patriots were once again playing for a title, this time against Eli Manning and the New York Giants. This game featured plenty of memorable moments, including the David Tyree helmet catch and Plaxico Burress scoring the final touchdown. New York ultimately ruined New England’s undefeated season, beating them 17-14.
2020 Season NFC Title Game: In what was Tom Brady’s final conference title appearance, Buck and Aikman were on the call at Lambeau Field as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers toppled Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to capture the franchise’s second conference championship. Played in front of a limited crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game set the stage for Brady’s last Super Bowl triumph, as the Bucs went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs to secure his seventh and final ring.
2021 Season NFC Title Game: This NFC Championship clash between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams marked the final FOX broadcast for Buck and Aikman. For Buck, it closed out an iconic run spanning nearly three decades with the network. The Rams overcame a 49ers squad that had swept them during the regular season, including a Week 18 win at SoFi Stadium that secured San Francisco’s final playoff berth. Following this matchup, Buck and Aikman officially took their talents to ESPN to headline “Monday Night Football.”
2022 Monday Night Football Opener: This was Buck and Aikman’s first game ever as part of the ESPN broadcast family, ushering in a new era of “Monday Night Football.” This also ended up being a reunion game between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, as new Broncos QB Russell Wilson was taking on his former team. Geno Smith, however, stole the show and dropped his now-famous postgame line: “They wrote me off, but I didn’t write back.”
Did Buck Ever Play Sports?
Not much is known about Buck’s athletic past. His broadcasting career is more renowned.
MORE: Who Is Joe Buck’s Wife Michelle Beisner-Buck?
One thing is clear: the University of Indiana graduate never participated in sports for the Hoosiers during his time in Bloomington.
His first step into broadcasting came with the Louisville Redbirds, a minor league affiliate of his childhood team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Since then, his career has spanned multiple major networks, including FOX Sports Net Midwest, FOX, and now ESPN/ABC.
