Vince Lloyd worked for WGN Radio as Sports Announcer from 1949 to 1987. Lloyd was the voice of the Chicago Cubs for nearly 23 years covering the games with Lou Boudreau. He was also the voice of the Chicago Bulls for 8 years.
Lloyd was born Vince Lloyd Skaff on June 1, 1917, in Beresford, South Dakota. In 1940, he graduated from Yankton College in Yankton, South Dakota, where he played tackle on the school’s football team, acted in local theater productions, and performed in radio dramas on WNAX. Lloyd held early radio jobs at KTRI in Sioux City, Iowa, WJBC in Bloomington, Illinois, and WMBD in Peoria, Illinois. His broadcast career was interrupted by service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. After the war, he returned to WMBD as sports editor and broadcaster of college football and basketball as well as semi-pro baseball.
In September, 1949, Vince Lloyd joined WGN, where he would spend the next 38 years covering sports on both radio and television. Although he is best known for his 23 years of radio broadcasts of the Cubs with Lou Boudreau, he also worked alongside Jack Brickhouse on Cubs and White Sox telecasts, was the voice of the Chicago Bulls for eight years, and covered Chicago Bears and Big Ten football as well as professional wrestling. His versatility in the broadcast booth earned him the respect of many who called him “The Voice of Summer” and “The Voice for All Seasons.”
Among the highlights of Lloyd’s long career are his call of a Sandy Koufax perfect game and his interview of President John F. Kennedy, the first time a president had been interviewed on live television at a baseball game. He named the 1969 Cubs his favorite ballclub.
Vince Lloyd was the last member of a generation of Cubs broadcasters that also included Jack Quinlan, Jack Brickhouse, Lou Boudreau, and Harry Caray. He is survived by his son, Mike, and widow, Myrtle. His first wife, Miriam, died in 1999 after over 50 years of marriage.
