Frank Carl Beckmann (November 3, 1949February 12, 2022) was a German-born American broadcaster and talk radio host on

WJR WJR (760 AM) is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, owned by Cumulus Media, with a news/talk format. Most of WJR's broadcast studios, along with its newsroom and offices, are in the Fisher Building in Detroit's New Center area. A ...

in Detroit, Michigan. He also was the radio play-by-play announcer for

University of Michigan football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

from 1981 to 2013.

Early life

Beckmann was born in Kiel, West Germany, on November 3, 1949. His family immigrated to the United States when he was two years old and settled in east Detroit. They relocated to nearby

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

during his

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

year because Cousino High School had a radio station and offered courses in radio. He then studied broadcast journalism at

Macomb Community College Macomb Community College is a multi-campus community college in Macomb County, Michigan. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college's offerings include university transfer, early college, professional certification ...

for two years.

Broadcast career

Beckmann started his broadcasting career in 1969, working by himself as news staff in Alpena. He was then employed by WKNR in

Dearborn Dearborn may refer to: People * Dearborn (surname) ** Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), U.S. Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson, Senior Officer of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 Places in the United States Forts * Fort Dearborn, ...

and WDRQ in Detroit for a brief period, before becoming part of

in 1972. He was recognized with commendation for "Best Coverage of a Single News Event" while covering the disappearance of

Jimmy Hoffa James Riddle Hoffa (born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975; declared dead July 30, 1982) was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971. F ...

. He was subsequently chosen to be the primary substitute for

J. P. McCarthy Joseph Priestley "J.P." McCarthy II (March 22, 1933 – August 16, 1995) was a radio personality best known for his over 30 years of work as the morning man and interviewer on station WJR in Detroit, Michigan. Early life J.P. McCarthy was bo ...

, the station's morning host. Beckmann moved to the sports department of WJR by 1975, and eventually became its sports director. He became part of the radio team of the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in 1979, initially serving as an analyst for Bob Reynolds. He went on to succeed Reynolds as the team's play-by-play voice when the latter retired four years later. Beckmann also replaced

Bob Ufer Robert Pormann Ufer ( '; April 1, 1920 – October 26, 1981) was an American track and field athlete and radio broadcaster. As an athlete, he set the world indoor record of 48.1 seconds in the indoor 440-yard (quarter-mile) run and was selec ...

as the radio play-by-play announcer for

in 1981, when the latter stepped down due to health reasons. Beckmann ultimately served in that capacity until 2013, and oversaw the team's most recent national championship in 1997. He was also an announcer for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

from 1995 to 2003. Beckmann hosted ''Sportswrap'', an all-sports talk show he created in 1981 that was one of the first of its kind. It ultimately ran for two decades. He also hosted ''The Frank Beckmann Show'', a daily late-morning talk show on

in Detroit, from 2004 till he retired. Beckmann told his listeners on January 13, 2021, that he would retire on March 26.

Political activism

In 2011, Beckmann considered a campaign for the United States Senate seat occupied by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, but said that the need to register as a Republican and to quit his broadcasting positions led him to decide against a candidacy.

Personal life

Beckmann married Karen Beckmann on February 2, 1973. They first met at a driver's training class and remained married until his death. Together, they had two children, Jonathan and Tori Kughn (Andrew Kughn), and three grandchildren, Pierson, Brooks, and Sawyer. Beckmann died in the evening on February 12, 2022, in hospice care at Clarkston,

Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...

. He was 72, had multiple

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

s and suffered from vascular dementia prior to his death.

Awards and honours

Beckmann was honored with "Top Michigan Sportscaster" awards by the Associated Press and United Press International and "Michigan Sportscaster of the Year" by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He won the 2010 Detroit Sports Media Association Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting and received the award in a special halftime press box ceremony at the University of Michigan football stadium. He was named a Lifetime Member of the Detroit Sports Media Association. Beckmann was inducted into the

Michigan Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, presid ...

in 2008 for his accomplishments in sports broadcasting. Four years later, he was granted an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Laws from Northwood University in May 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckmann, Frank 1949 births 2022 deaths American radio sports announcers American talk radio hosts American television sports announcers German emigrants to the United States College basketball announcers in the United States Detroit Lions announcers Detroit Tigers announcers Major League Baseball broadcasters Michigan Wolverines football announcers National Football League announcers People from Warren, Michigan Radio personalities from Detroit Deaths from vascular dementia Deaths from dementia in Michigan