On Saturday morning, I found a record I’ve long been seeking. Alas, only a few of you are going to dig it as much as I do.
Long ago, on clear Wisconsin winter nights, I’d listen to NBA games and ABA games on powerful clear-channel radio stations.
Most often, I’d listen to Milwaukee Bucks games called by the best basketball announcer ever, a guy named Eddie Doucette. He was a young, fast-talking former DJ who called the Bucks from their inception in 1968 until 1984.
I learned basketball from Eddie Doucette. His language became mine. I wasn’t the only one, either. Doucette had so many nicknames for players, and so many ways to describe the action, that they published “Doucette’s Dictionary,” a pamphlet they mailed to anyone who asked for it. I still have mine. It was sent to me on Jan. 6, 1973.
What I did not have, and what I’ve long been seeking, was a record narrated by Eddie Doucette. This record.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Fleetwood Recording Co. of Revere, Massachusetts, cut commemorative albums for the pro sports champions of the day. They sold them by mail, often advertising them in sports magazines.
After the Bucks won the NBA championship in April 1971, Fleetwood produced a record narrated by Doucette. It featured excerpts of his radio calls from that season.
My search for it ended Saturday at my friend’s garage sale.
This record brings back so many great memories. It’s bittersweet, too. When the ’80s ended, so did my passion for the NBA. The game changed, and not for the better. These days, it’s unwatchable.
But if you remember Eddie Doucette or the Bucks’ glory days, or if you just appreciate vintage sports broadcasts, you may dig these excerpts.
“Revenge Against the Bullets” and “The San Francisco Massacre,” narrated and called by Eddie Doucette, from “Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71 World Champion,” 1971.
These are snippets from two memorable games. The Bucks win big, of course. In the former, Baltimore’s Gus “Honeycomb” Johnson shatters a backboard. In the latter, Dick “Cement Mixer” Cunningham gets into a fight with Levi Fontaine of the San Francisco Warriors.
AM, Then FM 
My favorite Doucette nicknames? John “Bronco” Block and “Mr. Clean” Toby Kimball.
don’t know if these comments are current anymore, but I only saw them today (10-5-10) … i grew up in Wisconsin and was a fan of Eddie’s fast-talking shtick. One of my favorite nicknames (beyond the obvious ones “The Cement Mixer” for Dick Cunningham and “The Electric Eye” for Flynn Robinson …) was simply “The Real” for McCoy McLemore.
Also, I still have my Milwaukee Bucks record from the championship season — with no stereo to play it on.
Bango!
You can really hear the Top 40 DJ in Doucette’s voice–he did that for years before becoming the Bucks’ play-by-play man.
I believe a special sports edition of the Midnight Tracker is in order . . .
“…he’s in the toaster!!”
Ah, those we’re the days. Back when basketball was a blue collar sport. And when real TEAMS played the game, instead of overpaid prima-donnas.
*Bill in Milwaukee
Wow! Okay, so this is definitely not something I would ever have sought out, but it was cool to listen to, so thanks for sharing! 🙂 And that feeling of finding something you’ve been seeking for so long — that’s just awesome. Yay!
Oh…my…goodness! I am in yo-yo dribble heaven! If you have any more of Eddie Doucette, I’d love to hear it…he was the absolute best!
I am curious, do you know if the 70’s jingle titled- “Green and Growing” is on this album???? The lyrics were: Green and Growning Their better each year, Green and growing the Bucks dont stop here!
Born and raised in the Milwaukee area, I not only lived through the “golden age” of the Bucks franchise, but many years later actually got the chance to talk to Eddie Doucette (briefly) on the phone at the Milwaukee area company I worked for at the time (probably sometime in the late 80’s or very early 90’s)…..and as silly as it may sound, let the ‘fan-boy’ come out in me as I gushed my thanks to him for making part of my childhood so memorable with the GREAT radio (and tv) broadcasts he did for Lew (Alcindor) and Company.
Though I’m sure he had heard it all a MILLION times before, he was VERY gracious, and thanked me for the kind words.
BANGO !!!!
Oh, and believe it or not, ALL of the Fleetwood Recording Company sports records from back in the day, have been digitally re-mastered and transferred to cd, and can be purchased at their website, here (and if you check it out, be sure to read the fascinating story of how and why all their sports albums came to be, in the “About Fleetwood” section):
http://fleetwoodsounds.com/fleetwood-sports/