Tony Wakeman

Wakeman attended high school in Pittsburgh. He worked his way through Duquesne University by working as a radio announcer. His first radio job came when he was 16 years old when he worked as the announcer for a teenage dance band show. After three years at Duquesne, Wakeman moved to Pennsylvania State University, where he played on the school's football team during their 1929 season.

After Penn State, Wakeman resumed his broadcasting career in Pittsburgh. In 1935, he won the H. P. Davis Memorial Announcers Award, which was awarded to the Pittsburgh announcer considered to have outstanding “personality, adaptability, diction, voice and versatility”.{{cite news |title=SICKLES OF WWSW WINS DAVIS MEDAL |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/40-OCR/1940-11-15-BC-OCR-Page-0041.pdf |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=Broadcasting |date=November 15, 1940}} In 1936 he called Pittsburgh Pirates games for KQV.{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/pirates/history/all-time-rosters/broadcasters|title=Broadcasters|access-date=2020-03-27 |publisher= PittsburghPirates.com}}

In 1936, Wakeman joined WOL in Washington D.C. He became first the play by play announcer for the Washington Redskins, when the franchise relocated to the city in 1937.{{cite news |title=Wakeman, Irvin To Again Serve Redskins |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1939-06-06/ed-1/seq-15/#date1=1777&index=0&rows=20 |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=The Washington Star |date=June 6, 1939}} That same year he began announcing boxing and wrestling matches from Turner's Arena.{{cite news |title=Will Broadcast Bouts |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1937-01-31/ed-1/seq-26/#date1=1777&index=3&rows=20 |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=Evening Start |date=January 31, 1937}} During his time as a wrestling announcer, Wakeman feuded with Laverne Baxter, which led to the two coming to blows.{{cite news |last1=Hawkins |first1=Burton |title=Matman's Attack on D.C. Radio Man Brings Riot at Bout Here |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1937-04-11/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1777&index=4&rows=20 |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=Evening Star |date=April 11, 1937}} In 1942, Wakeman moved to WINX. On August 21, 1944, he was assaulted on-air by fellow WINX personality Sam Brown. Brown hit Wakeman with a leg of a piano bench during a dispute over who should announce the results of a horse race. Brown alleged that he only hit Wakeman in self defense after Wakeman slapped him. Both men were let go by the station and Wakeman moved over to WWDC. Brown, who was indicted on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of simple assault and was given probation.{{cite news |title=Brown Pleads Guilty in Fight at WINX |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-09-07/ed-1/seq-18/#date1=1777&index=11&rows=20 |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=Evening Star |date=September 7, 1944}} Wakeman hosted the Tony Wakeman All Sports Parade on WWDC until 1950, when he returned to WOL. His return to WOL was short lived as he left that summer to host a television version of the All Sports Parade on WTTG.{{cite magazine |title=Vox Jox |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfUDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24 |access-date=27 March 2021 |magazine=Billboard |date=August 19, 1950}}

Wakeman called the 1935 Major League Baseball All-Star Game for CBS Radio. He also Games 1 & 5 of the 1936 World Series and the 1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game for Mutual Broadcasting System.{{cite book |last1=Silvia |first1=Tony |title=Baseball Over the Air: The National Pastime on the Radio and in the Imagination |date=2007 |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated}} He also served as a congressional correspondent for Mutual and Capitol Broadcasting Company.{{cite book |author1-link=Radio Correspondents’ Galleries |title=Official Congressional Directory |date=1940 |pages=714 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CxEuAAAAIAAJ |access-date=28 March 2021}}{{cite book |author1-link=Radio Correspondents’ Galleries |title=Official Congressional Directory |date=1941 |pages=733 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vSGHAAAAMAAJ |access-date=28 March 2021}}{{cite news |title=RADIO CORRESPONDENTS GALLERIES OF CONGRESS |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Annuals/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/50s-OCR-YB/1950-YB/1950-BC-YB-OCR-Page-0385.pdf |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=Broadcasting |date=1950}}

In 1952, Wakeman moved to Miami, where he worked as a sports announcer at a radio station. On November 17, 1953, Wakeman died in Miami after a 7-month illness. He was 44 years old.{{cite news |title='Tony' Wakeman, Radio and TV Sports Announcer, Dies at 44 |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1953-11-18/ed-1/seq-20/#date1=1777&index=14&rows=20 |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=Evening Star |date=November 18, 1953}}

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Category:1909 births

Category:1953 deaths

Category:American radio sports announcers

Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters

Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football players

Category:Pennsylvania State University alumni

Category:Pittsburgh Pirates announcers

Category:American professional wrestling announcers

Category:Washington Redskins announcers