Jack Buck took his son, Joe, everywhere during his legendary career. By the time he was 12, Joe had visited every National League city traveling with the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Joe, though, never accompanied Jack to the one of the record 18 Super Bowls he called; 17 for CBS radio, and Super Bowl IV on television for CBS.
"It was a long year, and the Super Bowl was always my dad's time to be with my mom," Joe said.
That was fine with Joe, and in a way provided motivation for him. When the young Buck began his broadcast career looking to emulate his father, he made a vow to not attend a Super Bowl unless he was sitting behind the microphone.
Buck, though, did make an exception for Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 so he could watch his hometown St. Louis Rams. But sure enough, when he went to his next big game, Super Bowl XXXIX featuring New England vs. Philadelphia in 2005, he was on the call for the first time for Fox Sports.
"I always thought, 'If I'm going to go to a Super Bowl, I'm going to work hard enough to be the guy calling it,'" Buck said.
Now Buck is getting ready to do the play-the-play on his fifth Super Bowl. He will join Troy Aikman for Fox Sports' coverage of the New England-Atlanta game next week in Houston.
Buck always thinks of his father whenever he does a big sporting event. He actually has been talking about Jack quite a bit lately in promoting his new revealing autobiography, "Lucky Bastard."
Buck opens up considerably about his personal and professional life. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the book is Buck's relationship with Jack. Let's just say it was complicated on several levels. While Joe loved being Jack's son and credits him for his success, he addresses the insecurity that came from trying to follow in the footsteps of a famous father.
"People tend to put you in a certain category," Buck said. "I wanted to say, 'Here's how I spent the first 47 years of my life. Now you can make a better educated guess about who I am.' I was excited to put it all out there."
Nearing 50, Buck stresses that "Jack's Kid" isn't a kid anymore. The years of experience, and the lessons learned along the way, now give him a comfort level in the booth.
It especially applies to calling a Super Bowl, Buck said. In 2005, he almost did too much research. He made so many notes on players that the writing on his big game information board "was almost microscopic."
"After the game, I went, 'My God, how did I make heads or tails out of that?'" Buck said.
Now Buck says he isn't obsessed about learning about the punter's lucky coin. He is trying to keep everything in proper context.
"It might be the boring old player quote, but you've got to treat it as if it is another game," Buck said.
Obviously, though, it isn't another game. The stakes are just as high for the announcers who also are performing in front of more than 100 million viewers.
Above everything else, there is a premium on being right. Never did that apply to Buck more than in Super Bowl XLII in 2008 when New York Giants receiver David Tyree used his helmet to make his improbable game-changing catch in the victory over New England.
Buck recalls seeing the ball pressed up against the helmet and a sea of arms around Tyree. He initially wasn't sure if Tyree made the reception.
"People said, 'You didn't give the catch its proper due,'" Buck said. "Well, there's a small fraternity of guys who have sat in this seat (calling a Super Bowl). They will tell you when you are doing this kind of game, you have to be true to what your eyes are telling you. If you say, 'He made a great catch,' and he didn't, you look like a fool. You better be careful. You can't be wrong."
Buck says the biggest rush of calling a Super Bowl actually occurs in the few moments just before kickoff. The week-long hype and pregame shows are complete. The telecast now is in his hands as the huge audience focuses squarely on him.
Slow it down, Buck says to himself. Don't go too fast.
"There's always that little voice in your head going, 'Don't screw up,'" Buck said. "The more confident you can be quieting down that little voice, the better you'll be."
Buck does have the confidence in knowing the routine. Combined, the Bucks will have called 23 Super Bowls after this year's game.
Does Buck have any illusions of breaking Jack's record? Hardly. For Buck, it is a source of pride that his father holds a mark that he believes will endure for a long time.
"I will not touch my dad's record," Buck said. "No way. That's good. He was the standard bearer for me. The fact we're a father-son combination doing Super Bowls is not lost on me. I wouldn't be sitting in Houston on the fifth of February without everything I gathered from him."
