Colorado Rockies: Former broadcaster Dave Campbell nominated for 2021 Ford Frick Award

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 16: A detail of the scoreboard honoring the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on display during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers at Coors Field on August 16, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 16: A detail of the scoreboard honoring the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on display during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers at Coors Field on August 16, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Former Colorado Rockies broadcaster Dave Campbell was nominated for the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award on Monday.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced their nominees for the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award on Monday and former Colorado Rockies broadcaster Dave Campbell was among the finalists.

The award was first given back in 1978 to baseball broadcasters that have shown a “commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers.” They also must have at least 10 years of experience as a baseball broadcaster.

Currently, the voting committee for the award is made of former winners Marty Brennaman (2000), Bob Costas (2018), Ken Harrelson (2000), Jaime Jarrín (1998), Tony Kubek (2009), Denny Matthews (2007), Tim McCarver (2012), Jon Miller (2010), Eric Nadel (2014), Vin Scully (1982), Bob Uecker (2003), and Dave Van Horne (2011), along with historians/columnists David J. Halberstam (historian), Barry Horn (formerly of the Dallas Morning News) and Curt Smith (historian).

Campbell, 78, was the television color commentator for the Rockies from 1994 through 1997. He replaced then-former and now, current, Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper in that role after the team’s inaugural 1993 campaign. He was contracted with ESPN too so when Rockies TV rights switched from KWGN-TV to then-named Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (now AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain), he was unable to continue as the Rockies TV color commentator. He was replaced by George Frazier.

Campbell was best known for his time with the San Diego Padres (1978-88) and with ESPN on both TV for games and “Baseball Tonight” and games on radio from 1990 until his retirement after the 2010 season.

He is also known for his work on video games as he was a color commentator for the MLB The Show franchise from 2006 through 2012 as well it’s predecessor MLB from 1999 through 2005 (they released their games a year before the year listed on the game so MLB 2000, the first game he was one, was released at the start of the 1999 season).

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Here are the other finalists for the Ford Frick Award other than Campbell in the “National Voices” category. Those with an asterisk before their name are deceased.

  • *Buddy Blattner (Liberty Network’s Game of the Day 1949-51, St. Louis Browns 1950-53, Mutual Network’s Game of the Day 1952-54, ABC Game of the Week 1953-54, CBS Game of the Week 1955-59, St. Louis Cardinals 1960-61, Los Angeles/California Angels 1962-68, Kansas City Royals 1969-75, NBC 1964, 1969).
  • Joe Buck (FOX Sports 1996-present; St. Louis Cardinals 1991-2007).
  • *Dizzy Dean (St. Louis Cardinals 1941–1946, St. Louis Browns 1941–1948, New York Yankees 1950–1951, Mutual Network’s Game of the Day 1952, ABC 1953-1954, CBS 1955-1965, Atlanta Braves 1966–1968).
  • *Don Drysdale (Montreal Expos 1970-71, Texas Rangers 1972, California Angels 1973-80, ABC 1978-1986, Chicago White Sox 1982-87, Los Angeles Dodgers 1988-93).
  • Ernesto Jerez (ESPN Deportes (1995-present).
  • Al Michaels (Cincinnati Reds 1971-1973, NBC 1972 World Series, San Francisco Giants 1974-1976, ABC 1976-89, 94-95)
  • Dan Shulman (Toronto Blue Jays 1995-2001; 2016-present, ESPN 1995-present)

The finalists were chosen by a subcommittee of Costas, Matthews, Nadel, Van Horne, and Smith. If Dean or Drysdale win the award, they would be the first recipients to win the award who are already Hall of Famers as Dean and Drysdale are both in the Baseball Hall of Fame as pitchers as they were elected in 1953 and 1984.

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