1933

JAIME JARRIN BIOGRAPHY

Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrin was born December 10th, 1933. He was born into an agricultural family in the heart of the fertile Cayambe Valley, high in the Andes Mountains of the small equatorial country of Ecuador, South America. In his youth, he enjoyed a Huckleberry Finn type of existence until he was ready to start high school, which led his mother to relocating the family to the Capital city of Quito, and it was there that Jaime found his calling in Radio, landing a job at age 16 in an American backed radio station, HCJB “The Voice of the Andes”.

1953

By the time Jaime was 20 years old, he had established himself as an up-and-coming broadcaster, but it was his new wife Blanca who encouraged the young couple to immigrate to the United States. So Jaime set out first in 1955 to lay the groundwork for their future. With a new young son Jorge, and wife Blanca joining him six months later, he found work at KWKW Los Angeles as a reporter, and by 1958 he Director of News and Sports coverage.

1955

So Jaime set out first in 1955 to lay the groundwork for their future. With a new young son Jorge, and wife Blanca joining him six months later, he found work at KWKW Los Angeles as a reporter, and by 1958 he Director of News and Sports coverage.

1958

1958 turned out to be a fortuitous year, not only for Jaime, but for KWKW as well. The Dodgers announced their move to Los Angeles the year before and 1958 marked the expansion of MLB Baseball to the west coast with both the Dodgers and Giants leaving New York for Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively.

KWKW secured the rights to broadcast all Dodger games in Spanish, an MLB first, and Jaime was offered one of the play by play positions but initially turned it down because Jaime had never seen a baseball game, but ownership was a firm believer in Jaime and his work ethic, and they gave him the job the following year after he had learned everything he could about the game.

1998

It is an incredible accomplishment when you think that thousands of game broadcasts later, in 1998 Jaime became the first living Latino Broadcaster to be enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York.

Along the way, since that first Dodger game, Jaime has built a truly noteworthy career. He has called over 30 World Championship boxing title fights, including the “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammed Ali and Joe Fraizer. In addition to sports, Jaime has also covered several world events, including President Kennedy’s Funeral, Pope John Paul’s visit to the United States, and several important meetings between foreign leaders and Presidents Nixon and Johnson, exclusive interviews that led directly to Jaime being the first Latino Spanish speaking journalist to receive the coveted “Golden Mike” award from the Radio and Television New Association. Jarrin also took on the role of Director of all Spanish language coverage of the 1984 Olympiad in Los Angeles.

2022

Jaime retired from broadcasting Dodger games after 64 consecutive seasons in 2022, and was inducted into the coveted “Dodger Ring of Honor”, but remains employed by the Dodgers on a lifetime contract as a team Ambassador, something that has never been offered before by the Dodgers.