Ronnie Woo Woo

Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers (born October 31, 1941William Hageman, [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/tribune.htm "A Fan in Winter"] . "Chicago Tribune". 27 February 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2007] ) is a longtime Chicago Cubs fan and local celebrity in the Chicago area. He is known to Wrigley Field vistors for his idiosyncratic cheers at baseball games, generally punctuated with an exclamatory "Woo!" (e.g., "Cubs, woo! Cubs, woo! Big-Z, woo! Zambrano, woo! Cubs, woo!") Longtime Cubs announcer Harry Caray dubbed Wickers "Leather Lungs" for his ability to shout for hours at a time.Maura Kelly, [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/boston.htm "'Leather Lungs' a hit at Wrigley, wooing fans with schtick and song"] . "Boston Globe". 28 May 2001. Retrieved 2 June 2007.]

Wickers grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Born premature and abused by his mother, he was raised by his grandmother, who brought him to his first Chicago Cubs games during the late 1940s.Dave Hoekstra, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050401/ai_n13507592 "Woo Who"] . "Chicago Sun-Times". 1 April 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2007.] Wickers explained in a 2004 "Chicago Tribune" interview that he started "wooing" in 1958 or 1959. "It just came to be. I had fun with it," he remarked.William Hageman, [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/tribune.htm "A Fan in Winter"] . "Chicago Tribune". 27 February 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2007] He has remained a fixture at Wrigley Field ever since, even singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during a May 24, 2001 game.Ron Rapoport, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20010524/ai_n13904335 "Like it or not, Ronnie represents Cubs spirit"] . "Chicago Sun-Times". 24 May 2001. Retrieved 2 June 2007.] In 2005, filmmaker Paul Hoffman released a documentary film about Wickers, called "WooLife". The film premiered at the Chicago Historical Society.Dake Hoekstra, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050401/ai_n13507592 "Woo Who"] . "Chicago Sun-Times". 1 April 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2007.]

Wickers worked nights as a custodian at Northwestern University for much of his life. After the deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend in the 1980s, a distraught Wickers found himself homeless and without a stable job. [Jeff Carroll. [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/nitimes.htm "American Beauty"] . "Northwest Indiana Times". 3 March 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2007.] From 1984 to 1990, he attended Cubs games with donated tickets.Maura Kelly, [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/boston.htm "'Leather Lungs' a hit at Wrigley, wooing fans with schtick and song"] . "Boston Globe". 28 May 2001. Retrieved 2 June 2007.] Wickers was absent at Wrigley Field games for a brief period in 1987, which prompted some Cubs fans to worry that he had died. He eventually contacted news organizations to say that he was alive and well. [ [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/times.htm "Cubs get their fan"] . "New York Times". 28 May 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.] Since 1990, most of Wickers' income has come from washing windows in the neighborhood around Wrigley Field. He also makes paid appearances at parties and has starred in local commercials.William Hageman, [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/tribune.htm "A Fan in Winter"] . "Chicago Tribune". 27 February 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2007] In 2000, two Wrigleyville bar owners organized a much-publicized fundraiser to provide Wickers with a new pair of dentures.Dake Hoekstra, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050401/ai_n13507592 "Woo Who"] . "Chicago Sun-Times". 1 April 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2007.]

Wickers was treated and released from Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical center after being hit by a car after a Cubs game on April 18, 2005. He has since recovered. [Mark Konkol. "Car hits 'Woo Woo,' leaves him with boo-boo". "Chicago Sun-Times". April 19, 2005. 18.]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ronniewoowoo.com/index.htm The Official Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers Website: Unofficial Troubadour of the Cubs]
* [http://whatsontonight.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2007/3/3/2778123.html Footage of "Woo Woo"]