Synopsis:
It has, most definitely, been A Beauuutiful Life for Bill Grigsby, a Kansas City icon and Grand Master of Ceremony. No one can paint a more illustrious image of Midwestern sports and its famous and not-so-famous participants than the man affectionately known as Grigs. From humble beginnings during the Depression through his war years as a code breaker to his development as a colorful broadcaster in Major League Baseball and the National Football League, Bill Grigsby is the supreme storyteller who crosses the generational timeline. He was there when Mickey Mantle took his first professional swing, when a brash entrepreneur by the name of Charlie Finley bought the A's, and when a reserved dreamer named Lamar Hunt came to Kansas City. Along the way his path has crossed with a virtual Who's Who of several Halls of Fame: George Brett, Lenny Dawson, Tom Watson, Whitey Herzog, Joe Montana, Dan Devine, Dick the Brusier, Phog Allen, Marcus Allen, George Toma, Roy Williams, Hank Stram, and even Baby Doe, the women's world champion midget wrestler from South Africa. Even Grigs himself is in two Halls--he Missouri Sports hall of Fame and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Grigs has had not one single full-time job during his life, but more than 40, from fertilizer salesman to federal deputy to big-league broadcaster. His loyalty and longevity, through, are legend. He was there for the beginning of the Kansas City Sportshow, now more than a half-century old, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who came to town in the 1960s. To this day he remains a vital part of both organizations. No one, in fact, has longer tenure as an NFL broadcaster than Grigs, who first began to imagine himself asa sportscaster during the 1930s in Lawrence, Kansas. Bill Grigsby grew up in a desperate time, but it forged a man who, along with Fran, his wife of more than 50 years, created a beautiful family and A Beauuutiful Life.
About the Author:
Bill Grigsby is arguably the most recognizable public figure in Kansas City. He is the quintessential master of ceremonies for innumerable events, the color commentator for the Kansas City Chiefs, a spokesman for numerous businesses, and nonpareil optimist for everyone. He and his wife Fran reside in Parkville, Missouri, and have lived in the Kansas City area for more than 50 years, having raised five successful children: Jim, Paul, Ann, Jane, and Bill. His pronunciation of "beautiful" has become his homespun trademark over the last couple of decades, whether selling cars or the Chiefs. It is no gimmick, either, in the practice or pronunciation. "Hey, it's a beauuutiful day and a beauuutiful life!" he exclaims.
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