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JIM IRWIN AND MAX McGEE TO RETIRE AS PACKERS RADIO BROADCASTERS FOLLOWING 1998 SEASON; HAVE SHARED NETWORK BOOTH SINCE 1979
posted 6/22/98
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| Max & Jim announce their retirement |
Jim Irwin and Max McGee, who for nearly two decades have brought the color and excitement of Green Bay Packers games to thousands of fans along the Packer Radio Network, today are announcing they will retire from their WTMJ-AM booth following the 1998 season.
Their farewell "tour" will mark the 20th consecutive season that Irwin, an erudite Missouri native with a highly developed flair for the dramatic, and McGee, the legendary former Packers receiver with a droll wit and a colorful collection of vignettes from his playing days, have shared their network roles.
Now veterans of more than 300 Packer Network regular and postseason broadcasts, they first were teamed in 1979 during Bart Starr's tenure as Green Bay's head coach. They quickly became an inseparable tandem to their listeners, many of whom have said they turned off the TV sound on game telecasts in order to listen to "Jim and Max" - Irwin's knowledgeable and smoothly professional play-by-play descriptions and McGee's candid and sometimes irreverent comments, applied impartially to friend and foe alike.
During the last three years, another former Packers player, two-time Pro Bowl center Larry McCarren, has joined Irwin and McGee on the broadcasts. He will continue in that role.
In taking note that the 1998 season will be the last Packer Radio Network hurrah for Irwin and McGee, Jon Schweitzer, vice president and general manager of flagship station WTMJ-AM, paid tribute to the veteran duo.
"Jim and Max are synonymous with Packers football in the state of Wisconsin." he said. "Just like the Packers, they are an institution here. There is no other radio broadcast team in the NFL that has called as many games as Jim and Max. They have the ability to call a great game and to provide pure entertainment. The fans will miss them and so will we."
(1.4MB) | Jim Irwin recalls his favorite broadcast of a Packers game. |
Irwin, speaking on behalf of himself and his longtime broadcast partner, noted, "Max and I will be around for another season so I hope we get a chance to thank all the network stations in person for their strong support. It's been a privilege to bring these games to fans around the state for all these years."
In reflecting upon his career and his approach to his profession, the Jefferson City, Missouri native, shortly to begin his 30th year as a member of the Packers' broadcast team, said, "My theory about broadcasting is simple - to communicate the emotion of the game."
He has done that so well he has been named Wisconsin "Sportscaster of the Year" an unprecedented 10 times over his career - in 1975, '76, '78, '80, '83, '84, '85, '86, '88 and '89. Most recently, in 1994, Irwin was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame for his contributions to radio.
Irwin joined WTMJ in 1969 and began his long Packers association as color analyst on the network broadcasts that year. By 1975, he had become play-by-play announcer for the team. Over the years, Irwin also called the action for the Wisconsin Badger football team from 1969 to 1990 and for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1979 to 1993.
Currently, in addition to his Packers broadcast responsibilities, he brings 620 WTMJ listeners his call of what is happening in the world of sports during his morning sports commentaries.
Irwin, who grew up in the small town of Linn Creek, Missouri, started in radio right after high school. Shortly thereafter, he served 16 months with the Army where he gave orientation lectures to arriving troops. Following his service stint, Irwin attended the University of Missouri in Columbia as a radio, television and speech major. He graduated in 1964 and moved to Green Bay to begin his career in broadcasting as the sports director for WLUK-TV.
Jim and his wife, Gloria, have been married since 1960 and they have two children - a daughter, Ann, born in 1964, and a son, Jay, born in 1966.
McGee, whose deft and understated comments have brought a popular and colorful dimension to the broadcasts, has earned respect for his forthright observations as well as his unique insights into the game.
A member of the Packer Hall of Fame, the Tulane alumnus is one of the team's all-time receiving greats. He still ranks fifth among Green Bay pass catchers three decades after completing his 12-year playing career (1954, '57-67), during which he helped the Packers win five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls.
As a player, he is best remembered for his spectacular performance in Super Bowl I, in which the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs (35-10). Pressed into service when Boyd Dowler was injured on the Packers' first offensive series of the game, the veteran end proceeded to play a prominent role in the historic victory, snaring 7 passes for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 1954 NFL draft, McGee had spent two years in the Air Force as a pilot following his rookie year before returning to Green Bay in 1957 to play 11 more seasons.
One of the most productive performers in team history, he closed out his career with 345 receptions for 6,346 yards and an 18.4-yard average, the second highest per-catch ratio in team annals, and remains the tenth-ranking scorer in the Packers' 79-year existence with 306 points on 51 touchdowns.
A highly successful restaurateur/entrepreneur after retiring from professional football, McGee was a major partner in developing the popular Chi Chi's chain of Mexican restaurants during the late 1970s and '80s, prior to selling his interests.
Max and his wife, Denise, have two sons - Maxwell Taylor McGee and Dallas Tyler McGee - and make their home in the Minneapolis area.
Jim & Max from the Press Conference announcing their retirement...
Some great calls by Jim & Max & Larry in the last two seasons...
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