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Hamilton native Joe Nuxhall, who as a 15-year-old in 1944 made history by pitching for the Reds and later became a fixture in the Reds radio booth, died at 10:55 p.m. Thursday night at Mercy Hospital-Fairfield. He was 79.
One of the most beloved figures in Cincinnati’s rich baseball history, Nuxhall was admitted to Mercy Hospital-Fairfield on Monday for pneumonia, a low pulse rate and low white blood count. Thursday morning, doctors postponed surgery to insert a pacemaker because of Nuxhall’s low pulse, his son Kim Nuxhall said.
The Ol’ Left-hander, as he came to be known to scores of Reds fans, spent six decades with the team as a player and radio broadcaster until retiring after the 2004 season. Working under a personal services contract with the Reds, he broadcast selected games during the 2007 season.
As many are saying this morning, for some of us, especially locally, Joe was Cincinnati Reds baseball. I’m almost 50 years old and have been a Reds fan since 1969 and to me, Joe Nuxhall on the radio was the sound of my childhood as a Reds fan.
In the days before ESPN and FSN with every game being televised and highlight shows at all times of the day and night, many of us were, as kids, glued to our radios every night, listening to the Reds on radio and keeping score in our notebooks…listening to the Big Red Machine become one of the great dynasties in this history of baseball. And Joe Nuxhall was a big part of that.
Was he a great announcer? Nope. Did he mangle names? All the time. Did he, at times, confuse left field and right field? Absolutely.
But you never had a doubt that he was a Reds fan. It meant something that he wanted that ball to “Get outta here” as much as you did. You never doubted that he lived and died with how the team did on the field.
As I heard someone say on the radio this morning, from the time that Joe was a kid, all his life he got to do what he wanted to do, play, and then later, to continue to be around the game that he loved.
That’s a pretty good life.
Redleg Nation’s thoughts and prayers go out to Joe’s wife and family.
Edited to add links to some reactions:
Donate to the Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund.
The full treatment at the Reds Official Site.
Joe Posnanski of the KC Star (formerly w/ The Post).
Lance McAllister is taking tributes.
WLW put together a nice video.
Click on virtually any link on our blogroll for tributes and remembrances.
The Reds family lost a great member but his memory and phrases and being will live on forever. Here, Here to the Ol’ Lefty.
Joe had beat health problems so many times in recent years, I’d begun to think of him as invincible. I guess that’s how the death of a 79-year-old cancer patient seems like such a shock. A sad day, but there will definitely be a “celebration of life.”
I’ll always remember the whistled S’s, the suspense his home run calls brought to me and most of all, his statistical breakdown on post game reports. Congrats Joe…you’re heading Home!
This is going to be a very tough day. How many of us, as kids, went to sleep with the transistor radio under the blankets listening to the Old Left- Hander?
Losing Joe isn’t like losing a regular sports broadcaster. I think I speak for a lot of people here when I say that I feel like I’ve just lost a great uncle or a grandfather or something. Joe had that ability to connect with us When you heard his enthusiam for the Reds on the air you felt like Joe was your buddy.
I am thirty years old, and I had never heard a Reds game not called by Marty and Joe until 2004 when Joe decided to pull it back a notch, and the Steve Stewart era began. Because of this, Marty and Joe basically ARE Reds baseball to me, I simply can’t imagine a summer without them.
Not taking this very well.
RIP Nuxxie
Should be one hell of a tribute to Joe on opening day in Cincinnati this year!
I guess what will stick out most to me about Joe, and Bill touched on it, would be the numerous times Marty would be doing the Play by play and you could hear Joe in the background calling for the ball to “get outta here.” His plea for the ball to leave the yard would usually be louder than mine!
Sad news. Nuxie really did feel like a part of the family. The Reds just won’t be the Reds without Joe Nuxhall around.
Adam’s post made me think of one thing that ALWAYS cracked me up.
Back when Joe used to do the “Star of the Game” postgame show. He’d do an “interview”, but he NEVER asked a question, EVER. He’s make a statement and wait for the player to talk…
Sad day for Reds fans, Joe was the counter point to Marty, he was a former player who found it distasteful to rip other players from the booth, from his era and the ones he watched from up high. He forever was reminding us that the game was not easy, that it was played by humans and that they too had faults. He wasn’t a polished stone, but he was a gem.
But he definitely didn’t shy away from appropriate criticism and hard truth. Remember, “Barry’s lost it, folks.”?
Joe created a lot of great memories for Reds fans and will be forever be linked with our childhood.
Sad sad day for reds nation. As a kid I would switch on the radio and hear marty and joe calling a spring training game and get so excited because they were there to let me know that summer was on its way. They being on the radio let me know school was almost out and reds baseball was about to takeover my time. Joe is part of who we are as people. Good people who love reds baseball. I think many of you hit it on the head, he was more of a fan than a broadcaster. He just like us wanted more than anything to hear marty say those 6 sacred words, “This one belongs to the Reds!” He’ll take over in heaven and allow all the reds fans who have passed to hear reds games the way they always are meant to be heard. And down here, today, this one belongs to Nuxxie………
I sure will miss him. I never had the chance to meet him but I felt like I knew him. Listening to him on the radio was an absolute pleasure.
God Bless you Joe Nuxhall Rest in Peace
[...] Redleg Nation: “Was he a great announcer? Nope. Did he mangle names? All the time. Did he, at times, confuse left field and right field? Absolutely. But you never had a doubt that he was a Reds fan. It meant something that he wanted that ball to ‘Get outta here’ as much as you did. You never doubted that he lived and died with how the team did on the field.” Explore posts in the same categories: Uncategorized [...]
I swear he sounded as good as ever last season doing the few games he did. He’s irreplaceable.
The Ol’ Lefthander, rounding third and heading for home.
All lovely sentiments and remembrances here and all around; excellent comments, each of them. A tough loss for Reds fans.
man im sad i loved that guy
the reds should win the world series and dediccate it to joe
Rounding Third and Finally Headed Home! We will miss you Joe!
My dad called this morning to tell me about Joe. Like many others I absolutely loved the “get outta here” calls. As a kid my neighbor would be outside every night listening to the Reds and a fair bit of those nights I’d be over there as well. Those are some great memories.
Very sad news! I’m sure we will all miss him.
God Bless Joe, and his family.
He will never be forgotten and will always be with us in our hearts!
I agree with what was posted earlier, I sure hope the REDS dedicate this season to JOE!
:cry:The 2008 season will be the first time in my life as a reds fan that i wont get to hear joes voice.my father always had marty and joe on the radio every game as long as i can remember it is apart of me and my father i just wish i could have shared joes voice with my son thank you “old left hander”
I, too, will miss Joe’s voice on the radio. There was something powerful, yet friendly, about listening to someone who was simply in love with the game (and the Reds). His announcing was refreshing, albeit certainly not polished… I loved every minute of it.
:cry:11/15/07 at 10:55 pm i lost a huge part of my childhood. I am 34 and have lived in Dayton Ohio all my life. Listening to Marty and Joe was a right of passage in some ways for kids growing up in the 70s and 80s. Sitting on a porch on a hot summer day with my dad listening to Marty,” swing and a drive” Joe in the back ground screaming “get up,,get up,,get outa here” or hearing Joe cal a fly ball “to left-right-center field” somehow all of us Reds fans knew exactly where the ball was hit. He will forever be a huge part of the Reds, and no doubt he will always have a spot in all Reds fans hearts. Rest easy Joe. Your in a place now where cancer cant touch you and you have a better place to watch your beloved Reds.
I think we all loved Joe Nuxhall because we recognized he was a good man. The world needs more people like him.
i almost always watch the games on tv
but whenever joe was announcing i turned down the sound of the tv and turned up the radio
Was he a great announcer? Nope.
I disagree. I realize this wasn’t a slam, but maybe you guys don’t remember his first 20 years.
Brian, you have a right to your opinon, of course…but I’ve been listening to the Reds since ‘69 and even when I enjoyed listening to Joe…I’d never have called him a great announcer, I’d have called him an ex-player behind the mike, who was also a Reds fan.
I have many of the same memories as posted here. Joe will be missed!
I cast my vote today for Joe to get on the ballot for the Ford C. Frick award. I can and will vote every day between now and Dec 4. I would encourage you to do the same.
I grew up in Dayton listening to Waite Hoyt and Jack Moran doing the game, sometimes to the ticker tape. Joe was the ace of the staff in the 50’s.
I met Joe in San Diego in 1970 when he came out here with the team as a broadcaster.
He was truly a treasure. My condolences t his family and his many many fans.
Doug Hazlett