Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have spent more than two decades together in the broadcast booth, becoming one of sports television’s most recognizable duos. From debuting as “The A Team” atop FOX’s NFL coverage in 2002 to reuniting at ESPN, they have shared several career milestones along the way. Buck’s latest achievement, however, called for a different kind of celebration.

On July 25, the veteran MLB broadcaster was formally inducted into the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame, nearly 39 years after his father, Jack Buck, received the same honor. The moment prompted Aikman to take to social media with a special message for his longtime colleague.

“Congratulations partner!” he wrote on his Instagram story, sharing a picture of Buck from the event. “Add another HOF induction to the resume.”

Joe Buck has now won the Ford C. Frick Award, given to broadcasters by the Baseball Hall of Fame to honor their contributions to the sport. In December 2022, Buck was also inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame for his outstanding work as a broadcaster across both baseball and football. 

Buck began his career as a broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991 before joining FOX as the lead play-by-play announcer. Between 1996 and 2021, he called 135 World Series games, including several historic championship wins like the Boston Red Sox’s first World Series title in 86 years in 2004. Buck also called the Chicago White Sox’s 2005 title, their first in 88 years.

Among the 24 different World Series that he has called, the 1996 one holds a special meaning to Buck. When the Yankees won that series, he also felt a sense of accomplishment with them since he was only 27 at that time. That made him the youngest TV broadcaster to call a World Series since legendary announcer Vin Scully, who was 25 when he did it in 1953.

By pairing up with Aikman, Buck has only added more milestones to his resume. Buck and Aikman are the longest-running pair to call NFL games, surpassing Pat Summerall and John Madden’s 21-year partnership in the booth. After working together at FOX, Buck and Aikman moved to ESPN in 2022, where they now call Monday Night Football games. In 2023, the duo even won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Series for their debut season covering MNF.

Now, this HoF honor means extra special to Buck because of his dad. They are the first father and son broadcasters to receive this award. Talking about what this honor means to him, he vividly remembers how he felt when his father received it.

“I remember what I wore: goofy sunglasses, a seersucker blue-and-white striped jacket,” Buck recalled during an interview with MLB.com. “I was sitting next to my mom, and it was a beautiful day. I was taken by how proud my dad was that day. He was always kind of shunning the spotlight. But that was a time I remember seeing him really soak it in.

“Seeing the respect people had for my dad was special. It makes you realize he left a mark, and people liked having him around. That was never lost on me.”