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Charlie Brockman Died January 18, 2005
FORMER USAC PRESIDENT, IMS RADIO BROADCASTER BROCKMAN DIES AT 77
INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 – Charles T. “Charlie” Brockman, former president of the United States Auto Club and longtime Indianapolis radio and television broadcaster, died Jan. 18. He was 77.
A graduate of Speedway High School and later of Purdue’s engineering school, Brockman held a variety of posts with USAC almost from its inception until the current time.
After serving, straight out of college, as a sportscaster at Indianapolis radio station WXLW and later at radio station WIRE, he became sports director at WLWI-TV (now WTHR) in Indianapolis, holding that position throughout the mid-1960s. He also was the anchor for the entire run of the MCA closed-circuit telecasts of the Indianapolis 500 from 1964-70 and was one of the original announcers on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” program, covering such events as the 24-Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, and numerous non-motorsports events.
During his radio days, Brockman was a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network team, working in the booth with anchor Sid Collins. Brockman also conducted the winner’s interview from 1954-59.
It was Brockman who was placed in the unenviable position of fielding Bob Sweikert’s emotional “Who got hurt, who got hurt?” questions in 1955, diplomatically avoiding the fact that Sweikert’s friend Bill Vukovich had died in a multi-car accident. And Brockman shed tears along with Sam Hanks when Hanks announced his retirement in Victory Lane in 1957.
Brockman served as master of ceremonies for several Indianapolis 500 Victory Banquets in the late 1950s and was “emcee” for every USAC banquet from the inaugural in May 1957 until he was elected USAC president in January 1969.
Named director of publicity for USAC in 1958, Brockman already had been helping USAC with publicity for some time on an unofficial basis. Brockman became the secretary to the board of directors in 1963 and then chairman of the USAC rules committee upon the death of Rhiman Rotz in a private plane crash in September 1967.
After serving as USAC president from 1969-72, Brockman continued to be involved with a variety of committees and was still an ex-officio board member and director emeritus at the time of his death.
Brockman was one of the half-dozen or so founding members of the American Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association in 1955 and was one of the original partners in the building of Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1960-61.
Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. (Indianapolis time) Jan. 22 at Conkle Funeral Home, 4925 W. 16th St., Speedway, IN 46224, to be followed by a memorial service at 6 p.m.
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Registered User
Two media losses in one week...condolences to Mr. Brockman's family & friends.
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Registered User
Was Brockman the blond, crew cut fellow with the microphone I've seen in many winner circle shots in the 50s? (Indy 500 Chronicles page 131, or a better shot in Tom Carnegies book, page 79 between Sweikert and Dinah Shore)
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>>"Was Brockman the blond, crew cut fellow with the microphone I've seen in many winner circle shots in the 50s?"<<
Yes. Charlie seemed to be a part of the '500' forever. Sad news.
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My Dad was an engineer at WLW-I (Channel 13) when Mr. Brockman was Sports Director there and he got us our first Indy 500 tickets in 1961. I was just off active duty from the Navy and went to work with Dad a few times. Charlie seemed like a really nice guy. I recall he used to crack up the control room guys with his mispronounciations of baseball player names.
Condolences to family and friends.
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Registered User
Thanks 3-Wide. I've seen him in so many pictures - he really stood out. Always wondered who that was. (50s were before my time, so I wouldn't have known him from the radio network)
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Subversively normal
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"h" is my middle name
Nice man and good broadcaster!
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Sad news.
I also remember him from the "Charlie Brockman's Hallmark store" in the Speedway Shopping Center when I was growing up.
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Godspeed, Charlie...thanks for all you did.
Thanks for passing this along, Len. I hadn't heard.
Maybe i'm remembering wrong...but, do i remember seeing retail stores in the local malls called "Charlie Brockman's", when i got here in the mid-'70s? Like i said, i could be wrong......
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Originally posted by speedwaygirl56
Sad news.
I also remember him from the "Charlie Brockman's Hallmark store" in the Speedway Shopping Center when I was growing up.
You beat me to it Speedwaygirl, "Chuck" is what I remember everybody calling him did own the Toy and Hobby shop in the Speedway Shopping Center that later became the Hallmark shop (with Mr. Brockman owning both). I can remember seeing him behind the counter in the early days of his shop.
What I didn't know was that Chuck was a fellow SPARKPLUG.
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Originally posted by Whosyer-Sparkplug
What I didn't know was that Chuck was a fellow SPARKPLUG.
I didn't realize that either. Must've been a little before our time, Whosyer!
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Originally posted by Eagle104
Whoa..thanks, '56.
......great minds........lol.
I also remember Smoke Johnsonrod's mom working at the Speedway Charlie Brockman store.
I think I am admitting to being way too old here! 
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Hey, don't you have a pool to clean or something???!!!!!
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Pool is clean but the water is cold. It's only 70 today but was even colder earlier in the day.
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