Sports Poets Society

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Officials/Charles_Eckman.html He was 'certified Baltimore character' Obituary - Baltimore Sun (July 4, 1995) by Fred Rasmussen Charley Eckman has called his last cab. The former sportscaster, referee, National Basketball Association coach and raconteur whose trademark "call a cab" and tell-it-like-it-is views endeared him to Baltimore sports fans for 40 years, died yesterday of cancer at his Glen Burnie home. He was 73. Mr. Eckman was known for his rubbery-faced, cigar-waving, iconoclastic antics delivered in a raspy-voiced style that sometimes was short on correct grammatical usage. He was credited with using an expression so often that it quickly became a cliche. He coined his "call a cab" line to dismiss subjects he thought should be dismissed. If he found them really unworthy, he would bellow, "No, make that two cabs." After his cancer surgery some years ago, he declared: "I had the...

https://www.nba.com/pistons/news/charley_eckman_080108.html Former ref led Pistons to new heights as team’s first head coachCharley in Charge by John Maxwell nba.com - January 8, 2008 It would seem more than a little strange if a referee traded in his whistle for a clipboard in today’s NBA. But that was the case more than 50 years ago, when Charley Eckman made just such a transition, accepting the job as head coach of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons. Eckman was a three-sport star as a youngster, excelling in baseball, basketball and track . His father died in World War I when he was 12 years old, and he and his mother struggled to make ends meet. Among the odd jobs Eckman did to raise extra money, he officiated basketball games . Baseball was Eckman’s primary sport, however. In those days, it was the only professional team sport of any note. He was drafted by the Washington Senators after graduating from Baltimore City College and played in their farm system, but never made it to th...