PAUL CAREY
Broadcaster, 1973-1991
--Class of 1995--
Born -
Biography:
For years, two names always went together when you talked about Detroit Tiger baseball. For many Tigers fans, when you talk about the golden era of baseball radio, it begins and ends with Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey. The two paired up for almost 20 years broadcasting the sounds of summer on WJR. Nicknamed "4, 5, and 6" because those were the innings he did play-by-play, Carey's voice was rich, and widely considered a gift to radio. Getting his radio start in Mt. Pleasant and Saginaw, Carey moved to the Detroit area in 1956, when he became the sports director for WJR. During that time, he called University of Michigan and Detroit Pistons basketball games, and hosted a Friday night show in which he highlighted high school football scores. He joined the Tigers in 1973, just a year after the squad made it to the 1972 ALCS. Carey made his own postseason debut during the Tigers' magical run in 1984, but it was a bittersweet time for Carey. His wife Patti underwent cancer treatment that summer, and passed away before the start of the 1985 season. The big season called by Carey came in 1987, when the Tigers won the American League East but lost to the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS. His plan to retire after the 1991 season gave him a unique and somewhat controversial opportunity. His last appearance in the booth came in Baltimore, at the final game for the Orioles in historic Memorial Stadium. In the midst of reading the out-of-town scoreboard at the end of the game, Carey uncharacteristically quit reading scores and began noting all the former Baltimore greats as they walked onto the field as part of the closing ceremonies. "The heck with the scores. What's going on out on the field is more interesting." Little did fans in Baltimore and across baseball realize, it wasn’t just the end of a classic ballpark, but the end of what may have been the greatest radio tandem in baseball history.