In Memory: Jack Whitaker ’47 (1924-2019)

Saint Joseph's University mourns the loss of Jack Whitaker ’47, a sports broadcasting pioneer who voiced some of sports’ most iconic moments over his five-decade-long career. Before completing his education, he was a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army, where his service included fighting in the Battle of Normandy in World War II. He was the CBS announcer for Super Bowl I in 1967 and called Secretariat’s runaway Triple Crown-sealing victory in the Belmont Stakes in 1973. Whitaker was also the voice of dozens of major golf tournaments and several Olympics. He won the Emmy for Outstanding Sports Performer in 1979 and was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmy Awards in 2012. He was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 1997 and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 1986, the University recongnized Whitaker with the Shield of Loyola, given annually to an alumnus or alumna who has had remarkable success in his or her profession, whose life reflects the values of St. Ignatius Loyola, and who has demonstrated unparalleled loyalty to Saint Joseph’s University. He was inducted into the Saint Joseph's University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.