Jamie Campbell (sportscaster)
Encyclopedia
Jamie Campbell is a Canadian sportscaster
with Rogers Sportsnet
. He provided the play-by-play voice on the network's Toronto Blue Jays
telecasts from 2005 to 2009.
, Campbell was a fan of hockey
, baseball
, and auto racing
. He attended many Oakville Blades
hockey games as a child where the seeds of his future career were planted as he listened to his father announce the games. As a youth he attended Toronto Maple Leafs
games at Maple Leaf Gardens
and Blue Jays games at Exhibition Stadium
.
Campbell estimates that he attended between thirty and thirty-five Blue Jays games per year and liked to sit in right field behind the visiting team's bull-pen in order to try to catch fly balls during batting practice, to talk to the relievers, and to get the best possible vantage point to watch Jesse Barfield
. Campbell claims that he would occasionally take a tape recorder
to games and practice calling games. His favourite hockey player as a child was Jocelyn Guevremont
of the Vancouver Canucks
. His favorite baseball players were Jesse Barfield, Bob Bailor
, George Brett
and Lyman Bostock
.
Campbell played Little League baseball at Wallace Park in Oakville. He attended Oakville Trafalgar High School
where he was a teammate and friend of future National Football League
placekicker
Steve Christie
on the football
team. In 1986 he went to Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (now Ryerson University
) from which he graduated with a Bachelor in Applied Arts in Radio and Television in 1989.
archives where he worked with Chris Cuthbert and Brian Williams
. In 1993 Campbell moved to Edmonton, Alberta to work as a sportscaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. Here his first on-air work was covering a University of Alberta
hockey game. In this position he also covered the Edmonton Oilers
, Edmonton Trappers
, and Edmonton Eskimos
.
From 1997–1998 he worked with CJOH-TV
in Ottawa, Ontario covering the Ottawa Senators
and Ottawa Lynx
.
In 1998 Campbell was offered a job as an anchor with new cable network CTV Sportsnet (now Sportsnet) with whom he has remained ever since. He and Daren Millard hosted the station's first show, Sportscentral (now called Connected). As well as anchoring Sportsnet's news shows Campbell reported from a variety of events such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and a Grand Prix motor race. He gained additional play-by-play experience covering Canadian Football League
and Arena Football League games. He also served as the station's in-studio host for Blue Jays broadcasts and Major League Baseball
play-offs.
after the death of his father forced him to miss a game. In the fall of 2004 he was offered the job as the play-by-play voice of the Jays for Sportsnet replacing Rob Faulds
after the death of John Cerutti
but was often criticized for his broadcasting approach. On December 10, 2009, Sportsnet announced that former Blue Jays' catcher and manager Buck Martinez would replace him as play-by-play announcer.
His signature home run call was "You can kiss that one goodbye!", which was previously used by former broadcaster Fergie Olver
while he was calling Blue Jay games during the 1980s.
during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, with former Canadian stars such as snowboarder Tara Teigen and mogulist Veronica Brenner
.
Campbell had the opportunity to call Canada's first gold medal on home soil which was won by Alex Bilodeau in the men's moguls, to which he called "And Alex Bilodeau... has done it! He has done it! He has done it! Gold medal for Alex Bilodeau! Oh relax Canada, you can breathe easy now, this great country finally has Olympic gold right here at home!"
, ESPN
commentator Dan Shulman
, and Blue Jays radio broadcasters Tom Cheek
and Jerry Howarth
.
The first home run ball that Campbell caught was at the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
off of the bat of David Ortiz
, to whom he returned the ball. Campbell was in attendance at the game with then-analyst Warren Sawkiw
.
As a fan, Campbell has attended many memorable Blue Jays moments including the triple play on September 5, 1978; Otto Vélez
's four home runs in the Jays' double header on May 4, 1980; Devon White's catch in game 3 of the 1992 World Series
; Dave Winfield
's throw that killed a seagull on August 4, 1983; and Carlos Delgado
's four-home run game on September 25, 2003.
Campbell married on February 12, 2005, and his son was born January 31, 2006.
In 2008, Campbell was the emcee
for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony, during which Tony Fernández
, Billy Harris
, Gladwyn Scott and Peter Widdrington were inducted.
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
with Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
. He provided the play-by-play voice on the network's Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
telecasts from 2005 to 2009.
Youth and education
Born and raised in Oakville, OntarioOakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, Campbell was a fan of hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
. He attended many Oakville Blades
Oakville Blades
The Oakville Blades are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Oakville, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
hockey games as a child where the seeds of his future career were planted as he listened to his father announce the games. As a youth he attended Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
games at Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
and Blue Jays games at Exhibition Stadium
Exhibition Stadium
Canadian National Exhibition Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
.
Campbell estimates that he attended between thirty and thirty-five Blue Jays games per year and liked to sit in right field behind the visiting team's bull-pen in order to try to catch fly balls during batting practice, to talk to the relievers, and to get the best possible vantage point to watch Jesse Barfield
Jesse Barfield
Jesse Lee Barfield is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed. He lived in Tenafly, a suburb of New York City.Barfield was well known for his powerful, accurate throwing arm...
. Campbell claims that he would occasionally take a tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
to games and practice calling games. His favourite hockey player as a child was Jocelyn Guevremont
Jocelyn Guevremont
Jocelyn Marcel Guevremont is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played nine season in the National Hockey League...
of the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
. His favorite baseball players were Jesse Barfield, Bob Bailor
Bob Bailor
Robert Michael Bailor is a former right-handed utility player in Major League Baseball, best known for his speed and for being difficult to strike out...
, George Brett
George Brett (baseball)
George Howard Brett , nicknamed "Mullet", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th...
and Lyman Bostock
Lyman Bostock
Lyman Wesley Bostock, Jr. was an American professional baseball player. He played Major League Baseball for four seasons, as an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels...
.
Campbell played Little League baseball at Wallace Park in Oakville. He attended Oakville Trafalgar High School
Oakville Trafalgar High School
Oakville Trafalgar High School, founded in 1908, is a Secondary School located in Oakville, Ontario.The school is widely known by its acronym "OT" in the community, or OTHS...
where he was a teammate and friend of future National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Steve Christie
Steve Christie
Geoffrey Stephen Christie is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League, who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in poor weather.-Early career:Christie, who grew up in nearby Oakville, Ontario,...
on the football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
team. In 1986 he went to Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (now Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
) from which he graduated with a Bachelor in Applied Arts in Radio and Television in 1989.
Early career
At age 20 Campbell got a job as librarian and runner for the Hockey Night in CanadaHockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
archives where he worked with Chris Cuthbert and Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
. In 1993 Campbell moved to Edmonton, Alberta to work as a sportscaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. Here his first on-air work was covering a University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
hockey game. In this position he also covered the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, Edmonton Trappers
Edmonton Trappers
The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada....
, and Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
.
From 1997–1998 he worked with CJOH-TV
CJOH-TV
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
in Ottawa, Ontario covering the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Ottawa Lynx
Ottawa Lynx
The Ottawa Lynx were a minor league baseball team that formerly competed in the Triple-A International League from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over the team's 15 seasons, it was the Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Montreal Expos , Baltimore...
.
In 1998 Campbell was offered a job as an anchor with new cable network CTV Sportsnet (now Sportsnet) with whom he has remained ever since. He and Daren Millard hosted the station's first show, Sportscentral (now called Connected). As well as anchoring Sportsnet's news shows Campbell reported from a variety of events such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and a Grand Prix motor race. He gained additional play-by-play experience covering Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and Arena Football League games. He also served as the station's in-studio host for Blue Jays broadcasts and Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
play-offs.
Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play
Campbell's first game doing play-by-play coverage for the Blue Jays was on April 8, 2002, covering for Rob FauldsRob Faulds
Rob Faulds is a Canadian sports analyst on Rogers Sportsnet and host of Sportsnetnews. Faulds also does play-by-play for National Lacrosse League games...
after the death of his father forced him to miss a game. In the fall of 2004 he was offered the job as the play-by-play voice of the Jays for Sportsnet replacing Rob Faulds
Rob Faulds
Rob Faulds is a Canadian sports analyst on Rogers Sportsnet and host of Sportsnetnews. Faulds also does play-by-play for National Lacrosse League games...
after the death of John Cerutti
John Cerutti
John Joseph Cerutti was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, and later a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays.-Playing career:...
but was often criticized for his broadcasting approach. On December 10, 2009, Sportsnet announced that former Blue Jays' catcher and manager Buck Martinez would replace him as play-by-play announcer.
His signature home run call was "You can kiss that one goodbye!", which was previously used by former broadcaster Fergie Olver
Fergie Olver
Fergie Olver is a Canadian game show host and sportscaster. He is best known for co-hosting the 1980s children's game show Just Like Mom, and his work as a broadcaster and dugout reporter for the Toronto Blue Jays...
while he was calling Blue Jay games during the 1980s.
2010 Vancouver Olympics
As part of the Canadian Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, Campbell was selected to be play-by-play announcer for the events held at Cypress MountainCypress Mountain
- External links :* *...
during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, with former Canadian stars such as snowboarder Tara Teigen and mogulist Veronica Brenner
Veronica Brenner
Veronica Brenner is a Canadian freestyle skier and Olympic medalist. She was born in Scarborough, Ontario. She received a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, in aerials ....
.
Campbell had the opportunity to call Canada's first gold medal on home soil which was won by Alex Bilodeau in the men's moguls, to which he called "And Alex Bilodeau... has done it! He has done it! He has done it! Gold medal for Alex Bilodeau! Oh relax Canada, you can breathe easy now, this great country finally has Olympic gold right here at home!"
Miscellaneous
Campbell's broadcasting role models include Dodgers play-by-play icon Vin ScullyVin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
commentator Dan Shulman
Dan Shulman
Daniel "Dan" Shulman is a Canadian sportscaster, currently employed with the American network ESPN as well as Canadian network TSN....
, and Blue Jays radio broadcasters Tom Cheek
Tom Cheek
Thomas F. Cheek was an American sportscaster.Best known as the "Voice of the Blue Jays", Tom announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays on radio from the team's establishment in 1977 until his retirement in 2004, in which he had a 27-year consecutive game streak of 4,306...
and Jerry Howarth
Jerry Howarth
Jerry Howarth is an American Canadian recognized as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays as a play-by-play announcer for the team's radio broadcasts, a position he has held for the Major League Baseball team since 1981.- Early career :...
.
The first home run ball that Campbell caught was at the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
off of the bat of David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
, to whom he returned the ball. Campbell was in attendance at the game with then-analyst Warren Sawkiw
Warren Sawkiw
Warren Sawkiw is a former Toronto Blue Jays radio colour commentator who worked alongside play-by-play announcer Jerry Howarth in and on The Fan Radio Network....
.
As a fan, Campbell has attended many memorable Blue Jays moments including the triple play on September 5, 1978; Otto Vélez
Otto Vélez
Otoniel "Otto" Vélez Franceschi was a Major League Baseball outfielder from to . He was nicknamed "The Swatto"....
's four home runs in the Jays' double header on May 4, 1980; Devon White's catch in game 3 of the 1992 World Series
1992 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 17, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaBraves fans had plenty to worry about in regard to both starting pitchers. Tom Glavine's post-season career had been less than stellar, including giving up eight runs in the second inning of Game 6 of the NLCS...
; Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...
's throw that killed a seagull on August 4, 1983; and Carlos Delgado
Carlos Delgado
Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player. With 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI, he holds the all-time home run and RBI records among Puerto Rican players....
's four-home run game on September 25, 2003.
Campbell married on February 12, 2005, and his son was born January 31, 2006.
In 2008, Campbell was the emcee
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
Induction Ceremony, during which Tony Fernández
Tony Fernández
Octavio Antonio Fernández Castro , better known as Tony Fernández, is a former Major League Baseball player most noted for his defensive skills setting a record for shortstops with a .992 fielding percentage in 1989.-Career:...
, Billy Harris
Bill Harris (1950s pitcher)
William Thomas Harris was a Canadian pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Dodgers teams. Listed at 5' 8", 187 lb., Harris batted left handed and threw right handed...
, Gladwyn Scott and Peter Widdrington were inducted.