Hal Totten

In 1924, Totten joined the Daily News-owned WMAQ as a sports broadcaster. On April 23, 1924, Totten called the first radio broadcast of a Major League Baseball game in Chicago, a 12–1 victory of the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals.^[2] In 1925 he became the first regular baseball announcer when WMAQ began regularly broadcasting Cub home games.^[1] In 1926, Totten began calling Chicago White Sox games as well.^[3] In 1933, Totten became the first person to call the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.^[4] He is also credited as the first announcer to conduct on-field interviews.^[5] In additional to baseball, Totten also called Chicago Maroons football and boxing, including the 1927 Jack Dempsey-Gene Tunney Long Count Fight.^[4] In 1945, Totten, then working for WGN, was reassigned to farm reporter.^[6] He also served as a backup announcer for Mutual's Game of the Day. In 1950, he left Chicago for Keokuk, Iowa, where he took over management of KOKX.^[7]

From 1951 to 1960, Totten served as president of the Three-I League.^[8] He then served as president of the Southern Association until its demise in 1961.^[3]

Totten died on April 5, 1985, in Fort Myers, Florida. He was survived by a son, John Totten, who was the longtime public address announcer for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and twin daughters, Barbara Totten Sales and Joyce Totten Apitz.^[4][9] In 2004, 2016, and 2022, Totten was a finalist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award.^[3]