Chuck Morgan, the stadium voice of Texas Rangers baseball through 38 seasons and three Arlington ballparks, will be inducted into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame in a pre-game ceremony Aug. 14 along with one of the greatest players to wear a Rangers uniform, third baseman Adrian Beltre.
Beltre and Morgan will become the 23rd and 24th members of the Rangers Hall of Fame, the team said in a June 24 news release announcing the selections. The Hall of Fame was created in 2003 to honor individuals who have excelled for the franchise both on and off the field.
In addition to his familiar role as public address announcer, Morgan is the Rangers’ executive vice president for ballpark entertainment, promotions and production. He has also worked in marketing, broadcasting and sponsorships during his nearly four decades with the ball club. Among his notable contributions: Morgan is credited with creation of the popular in-park Dot Race, an innovation that led to numerous other sports teams having regular mascot and other races.
Beltre needs no introduction, as the saying goes. He retired as an active player in 2018 after a spectacular 21-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004), Seattle Mariners (2005-2009), Boston Red Sox (2010) and Texas Rangers (2011-18). He ranks among the all-time Major League leaders in numerous batting categories and is one of only five players with at least 3,166 hits and 477 home runs. The others: Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray.
In his eight seasons with the Rangers, Beltre batted .304 with 199 homers and 699 RBI in 1,098 games. The Rangers retired his number 29 on June 8, 2019. Beltre’s is one of only six numbers retired by the Rangers franchise.
Morgan made his debut as the Rangers’ public address announcer on April 4, 1983, when the former Nashville DJ announced the starting lineups for the team’s season opener with the Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium. He has not missed a game behind the microphone since. He called his 3000th consecutive game in the PA booth last September and his microphone from that game was donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Of his 39 years on the job, 38 have been working in three ballparks in Arlington. He spent the 2002 season as the in-park voice of the Kansas City Royals.
While official records are not kept, the Rangers say there is no doubt Morgan owns the longest consecutive games streak among current MLB public address announcers. Dan Baker, who is in his 50th year as the Philadelphia Phillies’ announcer, has missed games along the way. All-time numbers are inconclusive, but it is believed that the Chicago Cubs’ legendary Wrigley Field announcer Pat Pieper announced every home game from 1924 until his death in 1974.
More details on the Aug. 14 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be announced in the coming weeks, the Rangers said.
This article features information provided by the Texas Rangers.