Born in Holyoke, MA, Buck spent his early years in Cleveland, OH. During World War II, he entered the Army and saw combat in Germany, where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart. In September 1946, he enrolled at Ohio State University, where he began his broadcasting career at the campus radio station. Soon he was broadcasting football and basketball games thorughout Ohio, eventually moving on to announce games for the Columbus Redbirds (1950-1951) and the Rochester Red Wings (1953), both St. Louis Cardinal AAA minor-league tea

In 1954, Buck was hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as the color man opposite Harry Caray. He remained a part of the Cardinals broadcast team for 48 years, taking over as the play-by-play broadcaster when Caray left in 1970. In addition to his time with the Cardinals, he broadcast Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl on CBS Radio Network and NFL Football on CBS Television. For many years he was also the anchor of the World Series broadcasts for CBS Radio, and for five years, he announced the National League Playoffs for the network. He was also the longtime sports director for KMOX Radio in St. Louis.

Jack Buck was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hame of Fame, the National Radio Hall of Fame, and the American Sportscaster’s Association Hall of Fame, among others. His self-depreciating wit and enthusiasm endeared him to the people of St. Louis, as did his community involvement. He served as master of ceremonies for numerous sports and charity events, and was the honorary campaign chairman for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Gateway Chapter. Buck was also a vocal spokesman on Parkinson’s Disease, a disease with which he was diagnosed.

Jack Buck died on June 18, 2002, at the age of 77, only hours after watching his son Joe broadcast a Cardinals victory over the Anaheim Angels.