2026 will be John Rooney's 55th year in broadcasting and 21st calling St. Louis Cardinals games. A Richmond, Mo. native, Rooney came to St. Louis from the Chicago White Sox where he spent 18 years (1988-2005) - one in TV followed by 17 seasons in the radio booth. The Cardinals World Championship crown in 2006 gave John the privilege of working with the World Champion team in back-to-back seasons, following the White Sox win in 2005.
John has been nominated for the 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Ford C. Frick award, and he received the 2025 Jack Buck Award. Rooney was inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2021, and he was named the 2021 Missouri Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. He received the 2018 Tom Hammond National Sports Media Award, and he won the Illinois sportscaster of the year award in 2005. Rooney was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Rooney called his first major league game in 1983 with Mike Shannon and Hall of Fame Broadcaster Jack Buck during a three-game series between the Cardinals and host Cincinnati Reds. He began his baseball broadcasting career at the class AAA level, spending the 1981-82 seasons with the Oklahoma City 89ers and the 1983-84 campaigns with the Louisville Redbirds.
John juggled two stints in the 1980's as a sports reporter for KMOX around his baseball broadcasting and serving as the voice of Missouri Tigers football and basketball on radio and TV for 20 seasons. Rooney's National Assignments over the years include the MLB Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series, Saturday Afternoon and Sunday Night Baseball for CBS Radio, the Fox TV Saturday Baseball Game of The Week and ESPN Radio Saturday and Sunday night baseball assignments. Rooney has worked 20 MLB All Star Games on National Radio, called NFL games on CBS and Sports USA Radio and has broadcast 19 NCAA Tournaments on the National Radio Network, including 10 National Championship Games.
Over the years Rooney has been an announcer on various college basketball telecasts including the Big 10, Conference USA, Big East and has been the Voice of the Missouri Valley Conference telecasts. He has broadcast College Football Bowl Games including the Cotton, Orange, Fiesta, Sun, Independence and Capital One Bowls.
He and his wife, Susan, have two daughters: Colleen and Rachel.













