The great Jerry Howarth has announced his retirement after 36 years as the voice of the Blue Jays.

“Listening to a Blue Jays game on the radio will never be the same. Jerry delivered the game like no other. He was inducted into our Hall of Fame in 2000 and we could not be more proud to have someone like Jerry as part of our Hall. He has enriched the lives of so many and is a dear friend of mine. On behalf of our Hall I would like to extend a huge Congratulations to Jerry on an amazing career and wish him the very best on a happy and healthy retirement” says Joanne Noble, President & Chair of the Board of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame.

As any fan of the Toronto BLue Jays knows, the name Jerry Howarth is as well known as any player in the league. And Jerry doesn’t even carry a bat. This long-time resident of Etobicoke has been the radio voice of the team since 1981.

Jerry grew up in San Francisco, California, and graduated from the nearby University of Santa Clara in 1960 with a degree in economics. He later met his wife Mary while they were both at Hasting Law School in San Francisco in 1971.

His early career in radio broadcasting took him to a number of cities and towns including Tacoma, Washington and Salt Lake City, Utah, where his sons Ben and Joe were born. Ben graduated from Purdue and Joe will graduate from Notre Dame.

Jerry’s first play-by-play broadcasting experience was covering the Tacoma Twins of the Triple-A baseball league. While in Washington, he also broadcast games for the University of Puget Sound football, baseball and basketball teams.

While in Utah in the late 1970s, Jerry served as assistant general manager of the Utah Pros of the Western Basketball Association and as a group sales manager for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association.

Jerry coached his sons in the Etobicoke Basketball Association from 1989 to 1997. He has also served as a volunteer basketball coach at Islington Middle School, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute and Martingrove Collegiate Institute.

He has also enjoyed working with the Canadian Special Olympics organization and the 65 Roses Sports Club, which helps raise funds to fight cystic fibrosis. Jerry and his family became Canadian citizens in 1994.