Raised in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, Mike’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, Mike capitalized on his talent for serving hot food and spicy sports talk when he opened his hot dog stand, Be-Be’s, in 1985. Among Mike’s frequent customers was the staff of Diamond Broadcasting, owners of WXRTFM 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. Then, in 1992, the first Chicago-based sports radio station, The Score Sports Radio 820, was born. Mike was offered a job to host a radio show with former Chicago Bear, Dan Jiggetts, and soon they 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 changed signals and line-ups. The frequency became 1160AM and Mike began hosting his own show, The Mike North Show, from 12-4pm Monday through Friday. “My show is like sports with all the trimmings,” says North. It’s everything you want”exactly how you want it.” In August of 2000, The Score once again changed frequencies, this time to 670AM–the current station. Two years later Mike 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 the midday to the mornings. He worked this time slot with Fred Huebner till June 2008 when Mike chose not to accept the deal being offered to him by the Score management. While hosting his television shows, Mike has gone one-onone with many well-known sports figures, including Pete Rose, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, and Wilt Chamberlain,. Mike’s shows include: Primetime with Mike North on WJYS TV Channel 62, Overtime with Mike North on WBBM-TV Channel 2. Mike has won two Emmys: one for his North Side segments on Fox TV and one for Primetime. Mike 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. Mike’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. Mike’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 Man of the Year in 1999, awarded by the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame. Additionally, Mike 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, Mike won a Telly Award for a creating a commercial . Mike won the Silver Circle Award from The National Conference for Community and Justice of Chicago and Greater Illinois. In 2006 Mike was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, the first radio broadcaster ever to be inducted. Mike also received the 2006 Media Excellence Award from the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Besides his radio and television work, Mike is the assistant basketball coach at Notre Dame High School and recently sat in for Don Imus on WFAN in New York. Jesse Jackson and Mike worked together to persuade the Chicago Cubs to erect a statue for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. It was dedicated on Opening Day 2008. Also, Mike was featured on HBO’s Bob Costas Now as one of the premier sports radio hosts in the country. Steve Stone, noted broadcaster, commented recently that Mike North is the best one-on-one interviewer he has ever heard. Throughout his career, Mike has conducted over 13,000 interviews. After leaving the Score in 2008, he was the first broadcaster to do a live web show from a private business website, wildfirerestaurant.com. He currently writes a column with Dan Jiggetts for the Chicago SunTimes. Starting in January 2009 he will be executive producer and co-host of The Monsters In the Morning on Comcast SportsNet Mike and his wife Be-Be live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago with their new dog “Lucky”, a black lab mix from the Anti Cruelty Society.
