The Merle Harmon Story

Merle Harmon began his sportscasting career during his senior year at the University of Denver. Over forty years later, he can look back on an impressive career of broadcasting Major League Baseball, NFL and Collegiate Football, NCAA basketball, a Super Bowl, a World Series , All-Star Games, Bowl Games, NCAA Championship Events, Winter Olympics, and World Games from Moscow. He also had a twenty-five year association with ABC and NBC Sports.

Merle was the voice of five Major League Baseball teams over a thirty-five year span, including the A's, Braves, Twins, Brewers and Rangers. He was also the voice of the New York Jets for nine seasons, during the Joe Namath glory years. He worked three Major League no-hitters, including two perfect games and Nolan Ryan's 5000th strikeout game. He saw the great ones, from Williams, Mantle, Mays and Aaron, to Ryan, Ripken, Yount and Clemens.

The Los Angeles Times called Harmon "a solid professional in every respect", and TV Guide wrote, "he might be the best radio football play-by-play man ever."

In 1977, Merle added a second career. He founded Merle Harmon's Fan Fair, a national chain of retail stores specializing in the sale of officially licensed sports merchandise. He sold the company hi 1995.

The American Sportscasters Association honored him at their 1993 Hall of Fame Dinner in New York City, by presenting him with the Graham McNamee Award given to a sportscaster who has achieved success in a second field of endeavor. Previous recipients include President Ronald Reagan, Walter Cronkite, Bryant Gumbel, and Larry King. In 1996, Merle was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.

Merle holds degrees from the University of Denver and Graceland College in Iowa. He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Graceland and is a member of the Board of Directors of Skillpath Seminars. He formerly served on the Board of the Center of Professional Selling at Baylor University.

He is the author of, "Merle Harmon Stories"; subtitle: "Stories I Know to be True, Stories That Might Have Been True; Stories That Probably Weren't True But Were Darn Good Stories Anyway"! No additional explanation necessary!

Merle and his wife, Jeanette, are the parents of four sons and one daughter, have five grandchildren and make their home Arlington, Texas.

Beyond sports and business, Merle's rich life offers him new challenges and opportunities every day.

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2817 Shadow Drive West, Arlington, Texas 76006 | 817-652-1072 | Fax 817-385-0210
Send Email to: merle@merleharmon.com