Sports

Consumate Professional

Dress
For
Success

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A long-time Detroit
journalist reflects on his
career as he prepares for
a local honor.

LONNY GOLDSMITH

Staff Writer

ilLA

ORCHARD MALL
(248) 855-8818

COLORWORKS STUDIO
OF INTERIOR DESIGN

t the first induction ceremo-
ny for the. Michigan Jewish
Sports Hall of Fame, Al
ckerman was asked to be
the master of ceremonies.
He jumped at the chance to wel-
come his boyhood hero, Hank
Greenberg, to the Hall of Fame. After
all, Greenberg was the only thing the
Chicago-native knew about Detroit
when he was growing up.
Twelve years later, the veteran
Detroit sportscaster, creator of the
famous "Bless You Boys" slogan for
the 1968 Detroit Tigers, will join his
hero in the Hall of Fame as the first
inductee to the newly-formed Media
Division.
After not finding his calling as a
teacher, Ackerman, who's age is "some-
where between social security and
death," made his first Michigan stop
as a broadcaster in Holland on a two-
week trial.
"I was making $1.10 an hour work-
ing on the radio," Ackerman said. "I
wanted to call football games, and
those guys were making $5 a game."
So he bent the truth when a spot
opened up.
"I said I had experience. I was terri-
ble at first, but slowly started getting
better."
Eventually, Ackerman did play-by-

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play for smaller colleges like Hope,
C
Calvin and Hillsdale. He then landed
the Michigan State University games
on a Lansing radio station.
From broadcasting high school
football in Holland, Ackerman went
to Grand Rapids at a television/radio
outlet.
"A co-worker from Grand Rapids —/
went to KCBS radio in San Francisco
and told them about me," he said. "So -`
I went to San Francisco."
Ackerman did color commentary
for Stanford University football and
)
Western Hockey League games.
In 1964, Ackerman got a call from
Detroit. WWJ, then owned by the
Detroit News, hired Ackerman - to do
both TV and radio at 6 p.m., and
then radio from 7 p.m. to midnight.
"The days got long," Ackerman
said. "I was on the air from 7-8 a.m.,
again at noon, as well is the original
two shows. Plus, I was doing MSU
football on Saturdays. Finally I slowed
down to the 6 and 11 p.m. shows."
In 1972, Ackerman's career took a
turn.
"At the opening ceremony for the
Munich Olympics, there were a cou-
ple of African-American athletes that
people thought were being disrespect-
Rd to the flag," he said. "The Detroit
News devoted a lot of attention to
that, but not as much to the murder
of 11 Israeli athletes.
"I went on the air and, in a state-
ment labeled a commentary, said, 'I
can't get exercised about disrespect
when compared to murder."'
Despite the outpouring of support,
Ackerman was fired the following day.
And landed at Channel 7 later that ---±\
day.

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Robert Stewart Photography

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Thanks to all of you for such a wonderful year!
Wishing you good health, much happiness
and prosperity throughout the coming year. .
Barbi Krass and all of us at Colorworks

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32506 Northwestern Highway • Farmington Hills, MI • (248) 851-7540

Wishing Our
Friends and Relatives
Good Health and Peace
In The Coming Year!

9/26
1997

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Mack and Dotty Pitt
Mack Pitt and His Orchestra

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Denny McLain being interviewed by Al Ackerman in 1968.