Dick Jonckowski has been the announcer for the Golden Gophers for over 31 years, and his journey to Shakopee and Williams Arena has been filled with unforgettable moments.
Nicknamed as “The Polish Eagle”, Jonckowski has been the public address voice of Gopher baseball and basketball since 1986 with his bright motto of “Laugh and Live Longer.”
His career began with hard work and self-perseverance as reflects back to his very first job back in 1966 while pursuing a career as a baseball player.
Dick played some class D baseball down in Salisbury, South Carolina for a year and half, before attending Brown University in Minneapolis to learn announcing.
“They sent me home because I wasn’t a good enough hitter,” the 72-year old said.
Dick began his announcing career working in radio while living a small town at Ladysmith, Wisconsin, but left after year to move back to Shakopee to accept a radio broadcasting position where he began making a name for himself through various other jobs.
Afterwards he branched into various jobs of public announcing, which included working in the old American Basketball Association with the Minnesota Pipers and Huskies, and ring announcing for AWA wrestling.
“I’ve pretty much done almost every job possible,” he said.
Dick learned unique voices as he established his reputation while working in his various jobs during the early section of his career.
“I guess I just listened to a lot of PA guys all over the country,” he said. “I sort of put several different guys (voices) together, ‘I liked what one guy did’, ‘he did this’, ‘he had great inflection in his voice’, and I tried to pick different features from various announcers.”
His developed lead him to his job opportunity for Shakopee High School in announcing and the University of Minnesota. Dick began announcing for the Gophers in 1986 after replacing legendary PA announcer Jules Perlt.
The Barn has only two public announcers through its 89 year history. Perlt and Jonckowski
“This is Gophers Basketball!” has been his signature line for Minnesota fans at Williams arena for the past 31 years.
His humor, passion, and lovable personality made him the most relatable individual for many Gopher fans. Yet, he still remembers his first year working as fans had to adjust from Perlt.
“I was a little nervous because that guy (Perlt) has been there for so long,” he said. “I had a few people after my first game came up to me, elderly people that said ‘You’re no Jules Perlt!’ but I said ‘No, I don’t want to be, my style will completely different than his.’ And after a year, those same people came back to me and said ‘Yeah, we like what you’re doing!!’
His loyalty and commitment to the university has been one of the main driving forces of his great work with the fans and former players.
The 1997 Gophers team won 31 games and the Big Ten regular season championship on their way to making their first appearance to the Final Four before an academic scandal in 1999 vacated the entire season.
Despite being erased from official history, Dick still remember a special season that created so much buzz around campus.
“They had a good nucleus, they had pretty good bench and that’s what helped them,” Jonckowski said. “They just gelled together really well, and Bobby Jackson doesn’t get much credit as he should for the two years as he was here.”
Jackson played two seasons in Minnesota and was the 1997 Big Ten Player of the Year, an award which was also vacated.
“He and (Sam) Jacobson were really outstanding and played their best basketball that year,” Jonckowski said. “Bobby Jackson can pretty much do anything. He could jump, dribble, shoot, and pass. He was the lightning rod for that team.
While working as the PA announcer for the Shakopee Sabers, former Gopher Jamal Abu-Shamala remembers his energy and excitement he brought during home games.
“I really enjoyed Dick announcing for me not only at the U of M but also in Shakopee,” Abu-Shamala said. “It was good to have somebody announcing that could pronounce my name!”
During Shakopee’s run to the state championship in 2005, Shamala fed off the energy of the crowd that was always led by Jonckowski voice.
“Dick has a unique way of getting the fans excited when he is announcing,” Shamala said. “He did an amazing job back then during our state championship run, but also continues to do so today.”
When Dick sits back and reflects on a career filled with amazing moments, he still maintains memories of many great Gopher athletes that have put on the uniform
“The best athlete that I ever saw was Lou Hudson,” Jonckowski said “To me he was the best all-around athlete and I use to watch him play before announcing.”
As Dick reflects back to many great athletes and moments, people recognize his greatness on and off the court.
“Every time Dick announces a game, the enthusiasm is always at a higher pitch,” Shakopee head coach Bruce Kugath said. “He is good at what he does and enjoys doing it.”
But life has its surprising turns, and that’s what Dick endured after discovering he had cancer two years ago.
“I was kind of sad because I thought ‘Why did I have to get cancer?’ and so I wasn’t a good patient,” he said.
Jonckowski was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma three years ago. He lost 60 pounds during eight chemotherapy treatments from June until December 2014.
“I remember hearing about it through some friends in Shakopee,” Abu-Shamala said. “I got in contact with him and he was able to fill me in on the situation. It’s always hard to see someone you care about go through something like that.”
His inner belief within himself and support from the community is what drove him during recovery despite being fearful of his life.
“There was one lady that went to me said ‘you can’t die, we need you’ so all the positivity makes you feel important,” he said.
After beating cancer, his outlook on life changed and feels blessed to have another chance to live.
“I think my attitude changed after wards because before I had thoughts of ‘am I going to die, can I beat this?’ but I had to keep going in order to survive,” Jonckowski said. “But the big thing is cancer comes back and it happens to a lot of people.
Things may have changed for him through his experience, but he looks for ways to enjoy his life and passing it to others.
“My dad always said ‘Enjoy life because you may never get out alive’,” he said. “But when you think about it, that quote is really true. I always tell people to laugh and have some humor when you have the time during your life.”
He’s left a lasting impression for Shakopee and the Gophers that will be difficult to duplicate.
“I will remember his unique way of announcing, but most of all I will remember how great of a person he is on the inside,” Abu-Shamala said. “Most importantly, I will remember his caring nature and infectious personality.”
For now his work will continue on and he’s contempt in maintaining his signature “Polish Eagle” style that has defined him.
“He’s a very caring and helpful person who loves people and would do anything for someone if he could,” Kugath said.