"Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!"

Such was the immortal radio call by Tom Cheek of Joe Carter's home run to end the 1993 World Series for the victorious Toronto Blue Jays, one of the highlights of Tom's career as the Jays radio broadcaster.

A native of Pensacola, Florida, Cheek was a big fan of the Boston Red Sox growing up, but in his early years in radio he worked as an alternate announcer for the Montreal Expos (1974-76). When he joined the Jays the following year, he began a great career calling the Jays. He was there opening night, April 7, 1977 until June 3, 2004, including two consecutive World Series in 1992 and 1993. In all, his streak of 4,347 consecutive games broadcast was an extraordinary accomplishment. Cheek was called away from the booth only because of his father's sudden death, and soon after returning he himself suffered health problems that took him away from the Blue Jays radio microphone. In August 2004, Cheek was named to the team's Level of Excellence, only the seventh Jays member so honoured.

On August 11, 2005, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, working with the Toronto Blue Jays, announced the creation of the Tom Cheek Media Leadership Award honouring from time to time an individual who "plays a vital role in promoting Canadian sport in an extraordinary and enduring way." The inspiration for the award, of course, was Cheek himself. He inspired the defining characteristics for the award by consistently exhibiting pride, poise and a generous humility and, as such, was named its first recipient.

Previous Winners

2005 — Tom Cheek