Joe Nuxhall dead at 79; with Reds 63 years

Fans liked Nuxhall’s down-home style of calling games.

CINCINNATI (AP) — It didn’t take long to get to know Joe Nuxhall.

He was one of those “what you see is what you get” kind of guys, Cincinnati Reds chief operating officer John Allen said Friday, dabbing tears from his eyes.

“If you only met him one time, you’d leave feeling he was your best friend forever,” said John D’Epifanio, mayor of nearby Fairfield, where Nuxhall lived the past 50 years.

He died Thursday night, at age 79, after a 63-year association with the Reds. Nuxhall had been hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia and was awaiting surgery to insert a pacemaker.

Throughout Reds Country, the love poured out.

People remembered how Nuxhall always made them smile. How he good-naturedly — and awkwardly — led the Oktoberfest Zinzinnati crowd in the chicken dance a few weeks ago.

And how he tirelessly raised and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for his character education program and scholarships — $1,000 each year to a boy and girl at every high school in Butler County.

His longtime broadcasting partner, Marty Brennaman, remembered Nuxhall as someone universally loved because he was totally devoid of ego.

“I looked forward to going to work because I knew I’d be sitting beside him,” said Brennaman, who partnered with Nuxhall for 28 years.

He called Nuxhall the heart and soul of Cincinnati baseball, more so than Pete Rose or any of the Hall of Fame players from the Big Red Machine, which included Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez, and won the World Series twice.

“I think in the long history of this franchise, he is the No. 1 figure for all time. He is the guy you put on the cover of the history of the Cincinnati Reds,” Brennaman said.

“Joe exemplified everything baseball’s all about, from the mound to the broadcast booth,” said owner Bob Castellini.

“For the impact he has had on our community, we can never say ‘Thank you’ enough,” said Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette, who is spearheading a drive to get Nuxhall elected to the broadcasters’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“This time of the year, I’m reminded of the movie ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ Joe Nuxhall was our George Bailey,” Jolivette said.

Nuxhall was the youngest player in major league history and the beloved “old left-hander” on Reds radio. He connected with players and fans like no other.

“This is a sad day for everyone in the Reds organization,” Ken Griffey Jr., who grew up in the Reds locker room, said in a statement released by the club. “He did so many great things for so many people. You never heard anyone ever say a bad word about him.”

Great American Ball Park was dark Friday night in Nuxhall’s honor, except for spotlights shining on the statue of Nuxhall outside the main gate and on the big red letters of his signature radio sign-off, “ ... rounding third and heading for home,” emblazoned on the outside the stadium, the Reds said.

Right below the “o” in “for” — among a series of banners commemorating Reds career highlights — is the one noting Tom Browning’s perfect game on Sept. 16, 1988, the only one in Reds history.

“He was my mentor,” said Browning, fighting back tears as so many did Friday. “He was just a good man. He taught me how to hold myself up. He helped me handle failure. I have yet to find a guy who didn’t enjoy being around him.”

Public visitation will be Tuesday at Fairfield High School Arena, with a private funeral Wednesday. Nuxhall’s son, Kim, released a statement thanking the public for the many cards and messages sent to his father expressing good wishes and prayers.

“Dad truly loved you all,” it said.

Nuxhall had increasing health problems in recent years — surgery for prostate cancer in 1992, a mild heart attack in 2001. The cancer returned in February.

His place in baseball lore was secured the moment he stepped onto a big-league field. With major league rosters depleted during World War II, he got a chance to pitch in relief for the Reds on June 10, 1944.

No one in modern baseball history has played in the majors at such a young age — 15 years, 10 months, 11 days old.