Merle Harmon, who spent part of his 45-year broadcasting career as Bob Uecker's partner in the Brewers' radio booth, died Wednesday at Arlington (Texas) Memorial Hospital. He was 82.
"Merle was a great friend and a wonderful partner in the booth, and the memories he leaves us with will be cherished forever," Uecker said in a statement released by the club.
"His dedication to family and broadcasting were second to none, and I will always be grateful for the latitude and direction he gave to me as I was entering the profession. My heart goes out to his family, and I speak for everyone at the Brewers in saying that this is a very sad day for all of us."
Harmon, who was with the Brewers from 1970-'79, began his broadcasting career in 1949 with the Topeka Owls, a minor-league team in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League.
In the 1950's, Harmon broadcast games for the University of Kansas and the minor-league Kansas City Blues. When the Kansas City Athletics moved from Philadelphia the following year, Harmon began broadcasting their games. Harmon worked for a number of pro football and baseball teams in the 1960s, including the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Milwaukee Braves and Minnesota Twins.
He came to Milwaukee in 1970. He teamed with Uecker and also opened a chain of sports merchandise stores called Merle Harmon's Fan Fair -- a predecessor to the Fan Zone store at Miller Park and others like it. Harmon left Milwaukee in 1980 to pursue work for NBC Sports. He also broadcast for the Texas Rangers from 1982-'89, when he retired from broadcasting.
He sold the Fan Fair business, which had reached 140 stores nationwide, in 1996.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
