Whenever I See Your Smiling Face

October 12, 2009

The signing of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Standing are (left to right) Flynn Robinson, Marv Fishman, and Guy Rodgers. Seated with Jabbar is Wes Pavalon.

James Taylor didn't write his song about Marv Fishman, but he might have. As quickly noted by others, after his passing Friday, Mr. Fishman always appeared to be the "Happy Sportsman."

Marv Fishman was the man who brought the Bucks to Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a member of the original ownership group.

I will always be able to close my eyes and see him smiling in the locker room of the old Baltimore Arena after the Bucks won the 1971 NBA Championship. I've seen that grin many times on film of that joyous occasion.

Like many of us, I have also seen that smile across the Bradley Center on game nights. Marv would sit directly across from our television broadcast position in recent years. Jon McGlocklin and I would always see him, and Mr. Fishman was always looking for us. A shared smile and a wave, and we both felt better as we started our broadcast.

Marv was a loyal Bucks fan until the end. Jon will confirm this; several years ago, the local paper published a letter from a fan who had a couple of gripes about our work. While it didn't get published, we learned later that Mr. Fishman had written a counter-point to the criticism in defense of Jon and me. We never saw his letter, but it was the one we will always remember.

Packer fans can thank Marv Fishman for many years of Sunday NFL football thrills at County Stadium. Marv once tried to bring an AFL team to Milwaukee. Upon hearing the rumor, Vince Lombardi drove to Milwaukee, walked into County Stadium and immediately struck a deal to play Packer games in town, effectively keeping Marv and the AFL at bay.

The next time you drive to Green Bay to use your "Gold Package" tickets, do me a favor and think of Marv Fishman. It would have made him smile.