Denny Matthews
Inducted 2004
Broadcaster 1969-Present
The "Voice of the Royals," Matthews was behind the microphone for the club's first game in 1969. He joined the ballclub for their inaugural season as the No. 2 radio announcer alongside veteran Buddy Blattner, and took over lead play-by-play duties in 1975. He has broadcast exclusively for the Royals without interruption in five different decades, ranking his tenure among the longest with one club in baseball broadcast history. Matthews was named the 2007 Ford C. Frick Award winner by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and is honored along with all the game's greatest broadcasters in Cooperstown.
![](http://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x5/t_w2208/mlb/nxe3s6pbnet3x2dhriiu.jpg 2208w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x5/t_w1536/mlb/nxe3s6pbnet3x2dhriiu.jpg 1536w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x5/t_w1024/mlb/nxe3s6pbnet3x2dhriiu.jpg 1024w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x5/t_w640/mlb/nxe3s6pbnet3x2dhriiu.jpg 640w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x5/t_w372/mlb/nxe3s6pbnet3x2dhriiu.jpg 372w)
Position: Broadcaster
Notes: Denny is the Royals National Baseball Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick recipient broadcaster. He has been with us from our very first game on April 8, 1969 through the current day. He was the 2007 Ford C. Frick winner.
Photos
![](http://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w2208/mlb/jfkqfsjp1tkojcx1uujz.jpg 2208w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1536/mlb/jfkqfsjp1tkojcx1uujz.jpg 1536w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1024/mlb/jfkqfsjp1tkojcx1uujz.jpg 1024w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w640/mlb/jfkqfsjp1tkojcx1uujz.jpg 640w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w372/mlb/jfkqfsjp1tkojcx1uujz.jpg 372w)
Denny Matthews, the "Voice of the Royals" over a six-decade span, was inducted into the franchise's Hall of Fame in 2004.
-- Getty Images
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![](http://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w2208/mlb/ptnp6ue4ic4aamnabpww.jpg 2208w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1536/mlb/ptnp6ue4ic4aamnabpww.jpg 1536w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1024/mlb/ptnp6ue4ic4aamnabpww.jpg 1024w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w640/mlb/ptnp6ue4ic4aamnabpww.jpg 640w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w372/mlb/ptnp6ue4ic4aamnabpww.jpg 372w)
Also a Hall of Famer away from the ballpark, Matthews is active in the Kansas City community. He dedicates his time and resources to several area charities, including the SAFE program, which supports families of fallen policemen, firemen and emergency workers. He also works with Operation Lifesaver, a railroad crossing safety and awareness program.
-- Associated Press
![](http://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w2208/mlb/izztfp0g7xxmabbhgv5q.jpg 2208w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1536/mlb/izztfp0g7xxmabbhgv5q.jpg 1536w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1024/mlb/izztfp0g7xxmabbhgv5q.jpg 1024w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w640/mlb/izztfp0g7xxmabbhgv5q.jpg 640w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w372/mlb/izztfp0g7xxmabbhgv5q.jpg 372w)
In 2008, Matthews became just one of five announcers in MLB history to spend an entire career with the same franchise and log at least 40 straight seasons behind the microphone.
-- Associated Press
![](http://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w2208/mlb/yoptlb4r1isria3abxgj.jpg 2208w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1536/mlb/yoptlb4r1isria3abxgj.jpg 1536w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w1024/mlb/yoptlb4r1isria3abxgj.jpg 1024w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w640/mlb/yoptlb4r1isria3abxgj.jpg 640w, //img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_w372/mlb/yoptlb4r1isria3abxgj.jpg 372w)
Denny Matthews, the "Voice of the Royals" over a six-decade span, was inducted into the franchise's Hall of Fame in 2004.
-- Associated Press