For 54 years, Don Ladas carried the WJOL Radio microphone interviewing sports figures, broadcasting local games and hosted Tenpin Topics, the longest-running radio bowling program in the nation.
He interviewed big names in sports. The cover of his biography, “The Voice of Joliet ... The Life and Times of Hall of Fame Radio Sportscaster Don Ladas,” authored by former Herald-News sports writer Gary Seymour, is adorned with a picture of Ladas interviewing Willie Mays at Wrigley Field. His interview list included Mickey Mantle and Dizzy Dean.
And yet, Ladas’ first love always was promoting local athletes. He made them feel comfortable when he interviewed them, and he never quit following their careers when they became national figures.
Ed Spiezio, “Billy Boy” Thompson, Tom Thayer, Bill Gullickson, Jesse Barfield, Jeff Reed, Mark Grant, Terry Gannon, Mike Alstott, Scott Spiezio, Larry Gura, Bill Sudakis and Ron Coomer are just a few in that elite group. Gullickson’s comment in “The Voice of Joliet” spoke for everyone: He said whenever he was approached by Ladas, it was an honor for him to give the interview.
Seymour talked with University of St. Francis legends Gordie Gillespie and Pat Sullivan for his book. They praised Ladas for his dedication to Joliet, and both emphasized that what set Ladas apart from so many others in the media is that in addition to being knowledgeable, he was always positive. He never embarrassed anyone.
That applied whether he was broadcasting Little League, high school or college games. If a booted ground ball, a missed free throw or a kid striking out ended a game that the local team lost, he praised the opponent, and praised the losing side for all the good things it did that day. Sports fans appreciated him for that.
Yes, he spoke his own language. Hitters stepped to the plate swinging the shillelagh rather than the bat, pitchers tried to throw the apple over the platter and free throws were shot from the charity stripe.
When Ladas covered a game, however, it was easy to picture exactly what was transpiring. Thousands of local sports fans of generations past remember going to sleep with the transistor radio tuned to Ladas’ broadcasts on WJOL tucked under their pillow.
A longtime bowling proprietor, Ladas never wavered in promoting the tenpin game. He published the monthly Will County Sportsman magazine for more than 30 years. He also brought boxing events to Joliet, and he was a man of charity.
He organized the annual Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Softball Game. He broadcast the Wish Upon A Star Foundation’s Softball in the Snow benefit game for more than 30 years. He was a longtime board member and former president of the Old Timers Baseball Association of Will County. He was sought after to be the point man for various community functions and almost never said no.
He was a member of the inaugural class of the Joliet Area Sports Hall of Fame and was selected for the Joliet/Will County Hall of Pride. He is in several other Halls of Fame, among them the Illinois Sportscasters, Illinois Basketball, Illinois State Bowling, Joliet Junior College, Minor League/Pro Football National Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (Media) and has been honored by Unico, University of St. Francis and Lewis University, among others.
From the Don Ladas Obituary
