Joe McConnell, who became the voice of the franchise’s Bears’ reemergence as an NFL contender in 1977, died Sunday following a lengthy illness. He was 79.
A White Sox announcer from 1980 to 1984, McConnell lent his authoritative voice to men’s basketball broadcasts for DePaul, Illinois, Notre Dame and Northwestern over a broadcasting career of more than 40 years, in addition to a stint broadcasting Northwestern football. He was named Illinois Sportscaster of the Year in 1981.
Most recently, for 16 seasons until his retirement in 2009, McConnell was the voice of Purdue football, and last year was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.