When Ernie Johnson was inducted into the Braves’ Hall of Fame on August 24, 2001, it was an award honoring his more than 50 years as a member of the Braves’ family. Some speakers at the ceremony mentioned his playing career, highlighted by a stellar 1.29 ERA during the 1957 World Series against the Yankees; others spoke of his 35 years in the broadcast booth, keeping listeners entranced during periods when the Braves' performance ranged from worst -- to first.

But Ernie’s true place in Braves’ history can’t be measured in balls and strikes or games behind the mike.  There is no statistic that takes the measure of a man’s heart, and what he has meant to his fans, his friends and colleagues, and his family.

Ernie was born in what he calls “God’s country” -- Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1924.  His parents, Thorwald and Ingeborg Johnson, were Swedish immigrants, and his dad was a woodworker by trade. 

Ernie was an outstanding high school athlete in baseball and basketball who had his choice of possible professional careers.  He chose baseball.
In 1942, he began his pro career with Hartford, a Braves’ farm club, but he would miss the next three years after he joined the Marine Corps, serving in Okinawa during World War II.  Some of his war memorabilia is currently on display in the Braves Museum at Turner Field, and the Marine Corps flag flies atop the flag pole in his front yard.

Back in Brattleboro when the war ended, Ernie was about to enter a storybook romance that continues to this day.  He met Lois, a cheerleader at his old high school, and the rest is Johnson history.“What do you do?”  Lois asked him on their first date.“I play baseball,” came the reply.
I know, but what do you do for a LIVING?”

They were married on November 15, 1947.Ernie pitched for the Braves in “middle relief” from 1950 until 1958.  He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he pitched in 1959, and released at the end of the season.  The Cleveland Indians picked him up, but released him before the 1960 season, and his playing days were over.

The end of his playing career, however, became the stepping stone to his broadcast career. 

His smooth voice and knowledge of the game earned him his first television job as the host of a baseball show called “Play Ball!” on a local Milwaukee station.  From there, he was hired as the color commentator on Braves radio in 1962.

Ernie, Lois, and their three children moved to Atlanta in 1965, a year before the team came south.  By this time, he had joined the front office staff, setting up the Braves’ radio network across the Southeast.

Ernie’s longtime fans were with him in the lean years, and there were all too many of those in the 70’s and 80’s.  While the team struggled, year after year with mediocre records, Ernie remained undaunted. 

 

He thrived on the highlights he had the pleasure to be a part of….Aaron’s home run record, Niekro’s no hitter, the MVP seasons of Dale Murphy.  He was there for the exciting if short-lived playoff years in 1969 and 1982. 

 

Through it all, he brought every game to life for fans across the country.  When Ted Turner launched his “TBS Superstation” in 1973, Ernie’s voice reached millions of baseball fans across the country, and to viewers without a local team, he became “their” announcer just as the Braves became “their” team.

Ernie’s fellow announcers tell story after story about what it was like to share a mike with him.  Many of those stories reflect his love for the game, a dramatic moment, or a funny on-the-air incident.  Ernie was instrumental in helping Pete Van Wieren get his first major league job with the Braves, and Pete remembers his first day at his new job.  Ernie took him to the broadcast booth and said very simply, “This is where we’ll be working.” Skip Caray’s favorite Ernie Johnson story also involves his first day on the job.  When turning the mike over at the end of an inning, Skip remarked, “And now, here’s the Voice of the Braves, Ernie Johnson.”  Embarrassed by the title, Ernie replied during the next commercial, “Skip, don’t call me the “Voice” of the Braves…we’re all the voices of the Braves here.”

In addition to his Braves’ Hall of Fame induction, Ernie has been recognized many times for his broadcasting excellence, including winning the National Sportswriters Association’s Georgia Sportscaster of the Year Award in 1977, l983, and l986.  He has also received three regional television Emmys for his broadcasting.  But perhaps the greatest tribute he received during his career came from the fans themselves.  When he retired from full-time broadcasting in 1989, the Braves finished in last place, 28 games out of first and 34 games below .500.  Their attendance, less than a million that year, was the lowest in the league.  Yet with all the grumbling and dissatisfaction over yet another losing season, 42,000 fans, the largest crowd of the year, showed up for one special night on September 2. 1989.  It was Ernie Johnson Night, and they came to say good bye.