Chuck Swirsky looks back at journey to become Bulls’ radio play-by-play announcer

Bulls radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky never will forget his first radio show on WCFL in Chicago in 1979.

He was excited, and his adrenaline increased as the clock ticked closer to showtime.

About 15 minutes before he was set to go on the air, engineer Ed Murphy dropped a radio log on Swirsky’s desk. The pages were mostly blank, with the exception of maybe one public service announcement.

“I said, ‘What’s this?’ And he said, ‘This is your log.’ And I said, ‘Nothing is on the log,’ ” recalled Swirsky, who is from Bellevue, Washington. “And [Murphy] goes, ‘Kid, you just joined the lowest-rated 50,000-watt station in American broadcast history. We have no listeners.’ ”

On that August night, Swirsky, who was 25 at the time, had only two calls.

“One was the wrong number, and I kept her on the line for about 10 minutes, and the other was ordering for pizza and misdialed,” Swirsky humorously recalled.

Looking back, Swirsky attributes that humbling start to his ongoing success.

“We managed to navigate our way through those times,” said Swirsky, who’s been calling Bulls game since 2008. “And without those times, honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am today because it made me that much stronger.”

Swirsky joined the Sun-Times for this week’s Chat Room.

When did you know you wanted to get into broadcasting?

Chuck Swirsky: “I was small in stature growing up as a kid. I was always the smallest kid in the classroom, least athletic, and got cut from every team I ever tried out for. ... So when I kind of realized [this] my mom said, ‘Listen, just because you aren’t playing, that doesn’t mean that you can’t participate in other ways.’

“I knew I wanted to be a broadcaster when I was 5 years old, and that’s a true story. I broke my mother’s broomstick one day ... and used it as a microphone. And from there you turn down the sound on TV and you pretend you’re doing play-by-play.”

How do you prepare to call a game?

CS: “My prep work for 2019-2020 began on April 15. ... There is no offseason. I can’t get away from this. I love it. I’m very passionate, and so I want to make sure I have a library of information on every NBA player.

“My prep work remains at a very accelerated pace because I want to go into a broadcast knowing I got all this information, and I’m going to use only 8 percent, but if the 92 percent doesn’t get used, at least I have it available.”

Chicago Bulls

What’s your favorite game you called over the last two decades?

CS: “My favorite Bulls game I ever called was Game 6 of the 2009 playoffs against Boston. It went into triple overtime, and the United Center was rocking.

“My favorite NBA game, even though the Raptors lost when I did the Raptors, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, and to see a player at any level, but especially at the NBA level where he single-handedly went one-on-five, I have never seen that before, and I will never see it again. It was one for the ages.”

When you fill in on White Sox broadcasts, what’s it like working with Steve Stone?

CS: “[Last season] I did the games right after the September call-up, and the Angels brought up guys from Double-A ball, Triple-A ball in Salt Lake City and what not, and so I remember I walked into the booth and Steve was very gracious and he said, ‘I’ll tell you what, you can fill in the blanks, call in front of you and just tap in whatever you need.’

“I think [Stone] should go into the Hall of Fame, I really do. In fact, there is no doubt he’ll go into the Ford C. Frick wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame one day.”

What do you make of the Bulls this season?

CS: “It’s been a frustrating start. There are glimpses and moments where I can see the development and growth of a guy like Coby White, who I’m very, very excited about, and Wendell Carter Jr. — very excited about. And you see where even though the last couple of nights have been rough, Zach LaVine is proving that he is a bona fide impact player in this league.”

What kind of future do you believe White will have in this league?

CS: “It’s going to be unbelievable because No. 1 he’s a baller, he loves the game and ... this guy has something that you can’t coach and that’s passion. And I love to surround myself with people who are passionate and care. This guy cares.

“He reminds me, and I don’t like comparisons, but I see some Ben Gordon and Lou Williams in his game. And I think he’s just going to get better and better.”

What advice do you have for young people who want to get into broadcasting or the sports industry?

CS: “Every journey is different for everyone. There’s no clear-cut path. Be ready to sacrifice, be ready to be selfless, have a heart of humility, gratitude and kindness, and work, work and work. Never be satisfied. The day you’re satisfied you might as well go home because you should never ever feel you ‘made it.’

“To this day, my insecurities drive me so much that I need to get better, want to get better, have to get better. I am my worst critic. I critique everything. I’m going over notes from last night, what I didn’t get in, what I should’ve gotten in the game against Toronto, and because of that I’ve maintained a level of consciousness where I know that I need to get better.”