Doucet Loses Out on Ford C. Frick Award
Jacques Doucet, the long-time, legendary French language voice of Blue Jays has missed out on one of baseball's most iconic awards.
Doucet was one of ten nominees for the Ford C. Frick award, presented annually by the Hall of Fame to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball."
Longtime Cleveland Guardians announcer Tom Hamilton took home the award.
Jacques Doucet is something of icon in Quebec and French-speaking Canada, where he has become somewhat of an advocate and activist for the game.
Doucet got his start as a translator before getting his first taste of broadcasting with La Presse, where he called Montreal Alouettes Games.
He became known Canada-wide during his tenure with the Montreal Expos, being their radio voice every year of the team's existence from 1969-2005. After the Expos relocation, he worked briefly for the Quebec Capitales, before becoming the French language voice of the Blue Jays in 2011.
Doucet, who has been called "Canada's Vin Scully", has been nominated for the Frick Award on five separate occasions, although he has yet to win. Some analysts feel that he hasn't because he broadcasts exclusively in French. Others have suggested it's because he is not American.
Besides his work in radio, Doucet has also became a baseball advocate in Canada's French community. He has spearheaded efforts to create a French Language version of standard baseball terminology and was the official spokesperson for Encore Baseball, which now focuses on promoting baseball in Quebec.
Doucet has called over 5000 baseball games, including the perfect games of both Dennis Martinez and David Cone.
While Ford C. Frick Award winners aren't technically members of the Hall of Fame, they are honoured at the ceremony every summer, with their names and plaque added to the Hall's library.
This was the second year in a row that a Blue Jays broadcaster was a Ford C. Frick finalist, following Dan Shulman's nomination in 2024.
Doucet retired in 2022.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 75 ANSWERS Doucet Loses Out on Ford C. Frick Award Should Jacques Doucet be given a Ford C. Frick Award? | ||
| Yes | 27 | 36 % |
| No | 48 | 64 % |
| List of polls | ||
