Pat Foley is an American personality who has remained an active part of the ice hockey commentary team. He won an Emmy Award in 1991 and was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. John McDonough (an American sports executive who has worked for Chicago Cubs for two decades) once called Foley an iconic figure who worked with Blackhawks hockey with the resonant voice and creation of an entire fan base. Although Foley previously received an Emmy Award in 1991, he has also been described as an Emmy Award winner (by Wikipedia) in 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Early life
Pat was born on December 23, 1954 and spent his childhood in Glenview, Illinois under the tutelage of his doting parents named Mary and Bob Foley. He is a graduate student from Loyola Academy and Michigan State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications.
In 1964, Foley was given the opportunity to be in a radio booth at Wrigley Field, where he sat alongside famous announcers Lou Boudreau and Jack Quinlan. This event sparked his interest in play-by-play commentary, so he began his career announcing minor league hockey games.
Pat Foley career
He called baseball hockey games and started his career at Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the time that Foley was commentating on the games, his father would have been recording the Grand Rapids Owls games and passing them on to Michael Wirtz, brother of Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz. This helped Foley secure a position with the company and this marked the start of his first game on October 19, 1980.
Foley began getting regular projects with the company. Therefore, he remained active as a commentator or play-by-play commentator from 1981 to 2006. He was fired in 2006 while working for the Blackhawks amid the rift. Foley later spent his time naming games for the Chicago Wolves in the 2006-07 season and 2007-08 AHL seasons. In 2008, following the death of Bill Wirtz, Foley returned to the Blackhawks and partnered with Eddie Olczyk.
On June 23, 2021, the Blackhawks announced via Twitter that the 2021-22 NHL season would be Foley’s final season working as call games. Foley scheduled his last game with Olczyk (who is 55 and a former center in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons) on April 14, 2022, letting the Blackhawks host the San Jose Sharks.
In 2002, Foley was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. On April 19, 2013, Foley was honored by NBC Sports Chicago for his 30th season with the Blackhawks. Later in 2014, Foley was honored with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, for which he later received induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was named Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
Pat Foley Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Pat Foley |
| Date of birth | December 23, 1954 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 67 years |
| Place of birth | Glenview, IL, USA |
| nationality | American |
| profession | Ice hockey commentator |
| religion | Christianity |
| sun sign | Capricorn |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5′ 10” – in centimeters – 177 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 70kg – in pounds – 154 pounds |
| shoe size | 10 (US) |
| hair colour | Blond |
| eye color | Blue |
| body type | Average |
Pat Foley Family | |
| Father | – |
| mother | – |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | – |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | – |
| University | Michigan State University, Loyola Academy |
Relationship status | |
| Marital status | Not known |
| Who is Pat Foley’s wife? | – |
| children | – |
Personal life
It’s uncertain to say that Foley has yet to reveal his marital status after 30 years of his career in play-by-play commentary. It would be “inappropriate” to say that he is unmarried at this point in his life, when he has almost turned 67 or 68. At the moment, Foley’s marital status is unknown as no one supports the fact that he is married and has children. Also, he has never revealed his family members in front of the media or in the comments section.
Pat Foley net worth
Pat Foley certainly makes a lot of money from his sole occupation as play-by-play commentary. Although Foley has called it the retirement of his lifelong career with the Blackhawks, he has had a huge career spanning more than 30 years and dedicated most of his years to the Blackhawks. It is certain that he earns around $2 million as his estimated net worth, which is enough to allow him to lead a luxurious lifestyle.