Monday, August 12, 2013

Detroit Radio: Frank Beckman To Retire From Play-By-Play

Frank Beckman
Frank Beckmann, the longtime Michigan football play-by-play announcer, said he has considered retirement for a while.

According to The Detroit News, he decided two weeks ago he would retire after the upcoming season. A formal announcement was made Friday, and Beckmann, who began calling games in 1981, will leave the booth he has shared for years with color analyst Jim Brandstatter.

“It’s not sad for me,” Beckmann said in a telephone interview with The Detroit News. “I’m glad. I feel good. I’ve had a great run and had a lot of fun and had some great moments and enjoyed it and met wonderful people. It’s a lot of work, and I’m just ready to back off for a while.”

Beckmann, who has a radio show five days a week on WJR and is a contributing columnist to The Detroit News, stirred controversy in late May with a News column. He took exception to the controversy that erupted with professional golfer Sergio Garcia’s racist joke involving fried chicken that was directed toward Tiger Woods. Beckmann issued an apology in The News within a week and was publicly reprimanded by the university.

He understands the timing of his retirement announcement might raise eyebrows because of the column. But Beckmann said there should be no conclusions drawn.

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