MIKE NORTH

BIOGRAPHY

Mike Northis a Chicago radio legend who brings his experience and knowledge of sports talk to fans across the country as co-host of FOX Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman & Mike North on FOX Sports Radio. The duo can be heard weekdays 6 - 9 a.m. ET on radio stations nationwide, as well as the FOX Sports Radio channel on iHeartRadio.

Raised in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, North’s first real job was as a hot dog vendor at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park in 1969. After a stint in the military and several jobs with the City of Chicago, North capitalized on his talent for serving hot food and spicy sports talk and opened his hot dog stand, Be-Be’s, in 1985.
Among North’s frequent customers was the staff of Diamond Broadcasting, owners of WXRT-FM and WSBC-AM. After suggesting the idea of a sports show to the Diamond management team, North launched the NFL Handicap Show on WSBC in 1990. In 1992, the first Chicago-based sports radio station - The Score Sports Radio 820 - was born and North was offered a job hosting a radio program with former Chicago Bear, Dan Jiggetts. They soon became “The Monsters of the Midday,” delivering a unique brand of opinionated, street-smart, sports talk to Chicago sports fans.
In September of 1999, The Score transitioned to 1160AM and North began hosting The Mike North Show from 12 - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. In August of 2000, The Score once again changed frequencies to 670 AM. Two years later, North teamed up with another former Chicago Bear, Doug Buffone, and they soon became known as “The Wise Guys.” In September of 2004, North moved from middays to mornings, and he worked with Fred Huebner until June 2008.
North has conducted over 13,000 interviews, including many well-known sports figures such as Pete Rose, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton and Wilt Chamberlain. He has won two Emmys: one for his North Side segments on FOX TV and one for a weekly television series, Prime Time with Mike North. North has also won four Achievement in Radio Awards: he was named “Radio Broadcaster of the Year” in 1996, Mike and Dan Jiggetts received the “Best Midday Show in Chicago” and “Best Sports Show” in 1997, and he won “Best Talent on a News, Talk, Personality, or Sports Station” in 2002.
North’s other accomplishments include: receiving the Entertainer of the Year award by the Special Children’s Charities, the Irv Kupcinet award by the Ed Kelly Giant Awards, and the Richard J. Daley award by the Red Cloud Athletic Fund. North’s persistence in bringing 16-inch softball to the Chicago high school system as a varsity sport, a game he himself loves to play, earned him the Man of the Year award in 1999 from The Softball Hall of Fame. North was selected by the Board of Directors of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations to be the recipient of the prestigious 2004 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2005, North won a Telly Award for a commercial he appeared in, and he won the Silver Circle Award from The National Conference for Community and Justice of Chicago and Greater Illinois. North was honored as a 2006 Inductee into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame - the first radio broadcaster ever to be inducted. He also received the 2006 Media Excellence Award from the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Rev. Jesse Jackson and North worked together to persuade the Chicago Cubs to erect a statue for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks and it was dedicated on Opening Day in 2008.
North was also the executive producer and co-host of The Monsters in the Morning on Comcast SportsNet and worked at CBS on Monsters and Money. He previously hosted FOX Sports Radio shows on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings, and he recently started the Mike North Entertainment Network on his website www.NorthtoNorth.com.
North and his wife Be-Be live in the Northwest suburbs with their dog “Lucky,” a black lab mix from the Anti Cruelty Society.

For more information, please visit www.FOXSportsRadio.com.

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