Voice of Michigan Football, Frank Beckmann passes away

Frank Beckmann, a WJR-AM radio show host for 48 years, passed away on Saturday night due to vascular dementia, his wife told The Detroit News. Beckmann served as the voice of Michigan football for 33 years, as well as the Detroit Tigers, cementing a legacy in the state. He died at 72 years old.

WJR shared that Beckmann suffered strokes along with vascular dementia, which is a rare brain disease.

Kicking off his career with WJR in 1973, Beckmann was the station’s youngest-ever reporter. He launched a sports show, began calling play-by-play for Michigan football and spent 17 years of his career hosting a morning weekday show. He retired from WJR on March 26, 2021.

“Beckmann made it clear he was an aspiring broadcaster from age 9 or 10, when his parents bought him a tape recorder and he’d sit in front of the television describing baseball and football games,” the Detroit News wrote.

During his career, Frank Beckmann earned inductions into both the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame. He also helped raise millions of dollars for charities through his annual March of Dimes celebrity golf outing.

Beckmann is survived by his wife Karen, son Jonathan, daughter Tori (Andrew) Kughn of Clarkston, and grandchildren Pierson, Brooks and Sawyer Kughn.

Frank Beckmann's voice will forever be a part of our last game at Tiger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/ZVAMI5rl1u

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 13, 2022