Rangers radio play-by-play voice Eric Nadel is the 2014 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award and will be honored during the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend July 26.
Nadel, a finalist for the fourth time, beat out nine others for the most prestigious award in their field. He just completed his 35th season with the Rangers, the past 19 as their lead play-by-play man. Nadel, a member of the Rangers Hall of Fame, has the second longest streak of continuous service with the same club in the American League.
“I’m so excited. I’m happy. I’m amazingly flattered,” Nadel said. “I tried to not put too much thought into it, but I wasn’t too successful about that. I started thinking about it seriously when I was named a finalist again. I thought it was a wide-open field. My thought was any of the 10 could have won it this year. I didn’t think that last year.”
Dignitaries were quick to offer their congratulations.
“I congratulate my friend Eric Nadel on winning the 2014 Ford C. Frick Award,” President George W. Bush said in a statement. “For more than 30 years, Eric has brought the Texas Rangers and the great game of baseball to fans all over the Southwest. His passion for the sport is evident in every broadcast. Any announcer can call a game, but Eric brings his listeners into the stadium. He is a wonderful ambassador for our national pastime.”
“I am so pleased for Eric Nadel on his selection as the 2014 Ford C. Frick Award recipient,” former Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said in a statement. “Eric’s description and analysis of thousands of Texas Rangers games over the last 35 years have been a joy for the fans. He has always made the games entertaining and informative. He is a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word and is very deserving of the honor.”
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