51ºÚÁÏ

Not on the field, court or rink. Not as a coach or team executive. Not even on the local airwaves, print or a new media platform. In fact, it’s highly likely you wouldn’t recognize him if he stood next to you in the checkout line at the grocery store. But if you’re a regular attendee of Blues or Gateway Grizzlies games, or a 51ºÚÁÏ AM radio listener from days gone by, you’d probably immediately recognize the voice.

Calhoun, who has had on-air roles at KMOX (1120 AM) and KTRS (550 AM) among other stations, has made his biggest mark as the public address announcer for the Blues and Grizzlies. And what a run it has been.

He has not missed a Blues home game — exhibition, regular season or playoffs — since he was hired in January 1987. That’s 1,733 in a row and counting, as he’s set to return soon for his 38th season (one since he began was not played because of labor strife). To put that into perspective, the team is on its 15th head coach since Calhoun started. He delivers more than the U.S. Postal Service.

He doesn’t have a perfect attendance merit badge from the Grizzlies, but his doggedness there also is astounding as he estimates he has missed no more than five of the team’s approximately 1,100 home games over the past 23 seasons. And most of those were because they overlapped with his hockey commitments.

But unlike with the Blues, his association with the Sauget-based Frontier League baseball team is about to end. His regular-season finale is set for Sunday, when the Grizzlies entertain Evansville at 6:05 p.m. But he won’t be quite done yet. The Grizz have qualified for the playoffs, which begin next week, and he’ll do their home games.

“I’ve been lucky,� Calhoun, 74, said of his remarkable runs. “I’ve been real lucky with my health and that other things haven’t gotten in the way — funerals, weddings and that kind of stuff.�

His Blues streak almost was halted a few times by winter weather.

“I live out here in the wilds of St. Clair County, rural Millstadt, and getting from my home to downtown 51ºÚÁÏ sometimes presents a challenge if there’s more than a couple of inches of snow,â€� he said. “I’ve had a neighbor loan me a car because he’s closer to the main road than I am, and there have been a couple other close calls.â€�

That includes his car being rear-ended once while he was on the way to a hockey game. But he always has made it on time.

A reluctant start

Calhoun not only didn’t seek to get into the PA business, he wasn’t even eager to do it at first. He only agreed to do so because the job was supposed to last for only the last few months of the 1986-87 season.

Blues assistant pubic relations director Charlie Hodges was behind that microphone before he left the club in January 1987, and the team needed immediate help. Calhoun was working at KXOK (630 AM), which then was the team’s radio home, and he said legendary Blues broadcaster Dan Kelly discussed the situation with colleague Ron Jacober.

“Ron called me in and said (Blues Vice President) Susie Mathieu was looking for someone to do PA for rest of the rest of the season and asked, ‘Are you interested?’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ I wasn’t all that excited about it, to be truthful, because I was more interested in my radio career and doing sports play-by-play. But I met with Susie, and she asked if I’d do it as a favor for the rest of the season and we’ll see if we can find someone else after that.�

So he agreed, saying the pay was “practically nothing� in the post-Harry Ornest, tight-fisted ownership days. That “practically nothing�: $25 a game.

Calhoun said late in that season, Mathieu approached him about returning the next year.

“I’ve got young sons; I’ve got all kinds of other things going on, and I’d rather not do that,� he said he told her. “Then this is the thing that has been key to my rest of my time with the Blues. She said, ‘We will make it worth your time.’ They did. And have ever since. That turned into the 1,700-plus games I’ve had with them.�

Blues vice president Trevor Nickerson, who oversees the team’s in-house presentations as executive producer of Blue Note Productions, said Calhoun long has been a valuable asset to enhancing the fans’ experience.

“Tom Calhoun has set the standard for professionalism and consistency as the in-arena voice of Blues hockey for� nearly four decades, Nickerson said. “His steady presence and exceptional work ethic have been an integral part of the game-day experience for generations of fans. We’re grateful for his continued dedication and proud to have him continuing to represent the Blues into the future.�

The PA duties have sparked a popular podcast Calhoun does about key figures in the team’s past: .

“It’s been great going down memory lane with those guys,� he said. “Most are really happy to talk about their career and their life now because sometimes they get a little far in rearview mirror for the fan base and I like to remind people there were people in the 20th century and early 21st century who are kind of important� in Blues lore.

His role with the Blues also led to the Grizzlies gig, as Calhoun was offered the job because club officials enjoyed his work with the hockey team.

“I wasn’t doing anything in the summertime that would prevent me from doing that,� he said. “Their ballpark is only about 10 minutes from where I live. So I said, ‘Let’s do it for a season and see how it goes.’�

It’s still going, although the finish line is approaching fast.

“It’s been a fun ride ever since,� he said. “They let me freelance and have fun with the presentation.�

The future

Calhoun has decided to leave the Grizzlies because he has a couple of lengthy family summer family vacations in the plans for the next two summers, to his roots in Scotland, then to Hawaii to celebrate the wedding anniversary of a son who was married there 10 years earlier.

“That’s going to be a big hole in the Grizzlies’ schedule. ... It made sense to end it now,� he said, adding he’ll “make myself available� down the line for fill-in duties or for “big nights� if in town.

The Grizzlies honored him by putting his name on the outfield wall early this season and created a bobblehead in his likeness.

“They’ve made the exit path pretty comfortable for me,� he said. “I’ll always appreciate that.�

So he might become emotional when his final game arrives.

“A little bit melancholy I guess,� he said. “I’ve had so much fun with the Grizzlies over the years that seeing it go away and be in the rearview mirror — I might get a little misty-eyed near the end.�

But the end isn’t in sight for his Blues duties, as he is a fixture at their games with his excitable and elongated Blueessssss goal! proclamations when announcing the details after the home team scores.

“My voice still works pretty well and I’m still I think mentally sharp enough to do what I do and so I’m hoping that this goes on for a little while longer,� he said. “... They’ve always appreciated what I do, they’ve made me understand that I’m valuable to what they do presentation-wise. I’ve worked for five ownerships, and they’ve all made me feel like I’m part of the family. I’ve never thought about quitting there, not even for a second.

“I enjoy doing it. As long as I can show up and do what they expect me to do and they want me to do it, I’ll keep doing it.�