By Hannah Beery

Thirty years ago, Eugene “Gene” Honda walked through the gates at Comiskey Park in hopes of a job with the South Side baseball team. At the stadium’s second-level offices, Honda watched as a security official glanced at him, then turned to a colleague and whispered, “You’re not going to believe what the new [public address] announcer looks like.”

Honda smiled and then proceeded to make his way through the White Sox front office, where every person lifted their head above their cubicles to get a glance at the new Japanese-American PA announcer, he recalled.

That was 1985 and the Sox had already made their decision to offer Honda the job off his tape alone. This season, he celebrates 30 years since his first game with many milestones along the way.

“He established himself as the voice of Chicago sports for a couple of generations,” Jeff Szynal, longtime friend and head of scoreboard operations at U.S. Cellular Field, said last week.

Seasoned Bulls PA announcer Tommy Edwards said a successful person in the profession must understand the rules of every game he calls and have a clear authoritative voice, two things Honda has been doing a long time.

“[Honda] knows when to emphasize a particular thing on behalf of the home team, and he knows that he has to be neutral in announcing facts and figures of the opposing team,” Edwards said.

Fifteen seasons ago, Honda took his talents to the West Side and began to announce for the Blackhawks as well. Since 1998, the Chicago native has worked DePaul men’s basketball games and  since 2012, he has been the stadium voice of Fighting Illini football. For the last 13 years, fans have been treated to his warm tones at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“You just keep running. That’s the thing,” said Honda, who is also the announcer for the Maui Classic and Chicago Marathon. “As much as everyone wants a job, I am a firm believer that the nicest compliment you can get is being asked back.”

He’s been asked back. Again and again and again. Co-workers agreed this was no surprise. Szynal, who worked Honda’s first game at Comiskey and every year since, is also camera operator at the United Center and the two have formed an infallible friendship over the years. The first time he met Honda, Szynal recalled how Honda endeared himself to those he met despite his already recognizable voice and fame across Chicago.

“[Honda] knows when to emphasize a particular thing on behalf of the home team, and he knows that he has to be neutral in announcing facts and figures of the opposing team.”

-Tommy Edwards, Chicago Bulls

“When you were growing up and you heard someone’s voice on the radio or TV or car commercials, you were like ‘Wow, I want to do that,’” Szynal said. “And then you meet the guy in person and you see that he’s a true individual, a great man and a kind man.”

Thirty years later, Szynal said, “[Honda] is the same guy. He doesn’t take anything for granted.”

Many public address announcers, Edwards said, are “a bit over the top,” describing them as cheerleaders for the home team, despite the expected neutral duties of the job.

“Gene is a great PA announcer,” he continued. “He knows when to emphasize the positives of the home team and he knows how to get the crowd up and excited on exciting plays.”

Honda’s broadcast career began at Illinois as a 20-something engineering student whose path got a little twisted when guidance from his father went haywire.

“My father’s advice had always been, ‘No matter what field you decide to go into, if you can expand on your ability to speak in public, you will be a better professional in that field than the person next to you,’” Honda said.

He said he believes that advice was meant to lead him to a college speech class but instead Honda wandered into the student radio station, where he eventually worked as a play-by-play announcer for the hockey team. He strayed that way, he said, for two reasons: One was there is no better way to learn how to speak in public than at that level. The second was to meet girls.

“Fifty percent of the plan is working,” he joked with his bellowing laugh. “The other fifty percent isn’t doing so well.”

“If you’re asked to try something new in the profession that you may not have done before, how else do you find out how to do it and how else do you find out if you like it? If you say no, you’ll never know.”

– Gene Honda, White Sox

On and off the job, longtime Sox employee Dave Marran has grown close to Honda for three decades. Marran was 20 years old when he met Honda and the two have worked together ever since.

“He’s been kind of a part of me growing up in a sense,” said Marran, who is now sports editor for Wisconsin’s Kenosha Times, and in scoreboard operations for the Sox. “It’s just been great and he’s just a wonderful guy. I’m lucky to have a guy like that in my life.”

Honda attributed many of the achievements on his lengthy resume to luck. He explained that one day years ago, he sat with a producer at lunch when she asked very bluntly how he got to where he was. When he said he had “gotten lucky,” she replied almost with apprehension and from then on her words stuck with the seasoned PA.

“She told me, ‘You know what luck is? When opportunity and ability meet,’” he said. “And that is a nice way to phrase it. You’ve got to have done all your prep work, serve your time and gone through the ranks.”

“I mean there has to be a little bit of both,” Honda continued. “It’s not pure luck. You have to have a little bit of luck and you also have to have a little bit of ability.”

Where do opportunity and ability meet? For Honda it was at the Illiniois student radio station, Comiskey Park, Cellular Field, United Center, Chicago Marathon and NCAA Final Four. Anywhere there was a microphone and they would have him, Honda was heard.

“If you’re asked to try something new in the profession that you may not have done before, how else do you find out how to do it and how else do you find out if you like it?” he asked. “If you say no, you’ll never know.”

Honda joked about last September’s milestone, his 2000^th game for the Sox.

“The math always comes back to tell you, ‘You’ve been here a while, dummy.”

“He’ll always make whoever he’s with feel at home and feel comfortable. He just has a great knack for doing that. He won’t let you fail.”

– Jeff Szynal, White Sox

Marran, who met Honda in 1985 during the first Sox season for both, said he was immediately drawn to Honda for his professional demeanor and sought advice constantly from his mentor.

“His professional presence was so important,” Marran said. “I’ve been around him for 30 years and I can’t stress that enough, just what a pro he is.”

Szynal and Honda both worked the 2003 MLB All-Star game and Home Run Derby, as well as the 2005 World Series. For many years, the pair played on the same team in a local adult hockey league.

“He’ll always make whoever he’s with feel at home and feel comfortable. He just has a great knack for doing that. He won’t let you fail,” Szynal said.

Honda’s warm voice matches his generous demeanor, said those who have known him the longest.

“He helps other people that are newer in the business, all different age groups, people that are younger that come in and he’s a good teacher of how to present yourself in this profession,” said Szynal. “He’s a great guy and leads by example.”

From hockey player to baseball guru, Honda, who proclaims no favorite sports team or sport itself, said the thrill of his day-to-day life has yet to wear off.

“You know what my favorite sporting event to do is?” he asked. “The next one.”