David Dorsey | The News-Press

Kinfay Moroti, The News-Press USA Today Network-Florida

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story included an incorrect spelling of the Pirates president.

Jim Doepke cradled the brass trumpet while sitting behind home plate in the Marlins Park stands, reflecting upon an 11-year journey in which he will have performed the national anthem at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.

Doepke’s rendition of the anthem clocks in at about 56 seconds. After years of planning, pleading and submitting audition clips to each of the 30 teams, he got in the door for what has combined to be about a half hour of playing.

“There’s a lot of time that goes on behind the scenes,” Doepke said Tuesday after playing for the Marlins in front of the Miami Jackson High School junior ROTC color guard. “And there’s a lot of waiting. But once you go out there and play, it’s over pretty fast.”

The Estero, Florida, resident from Waukesha, Wisconsin, has played in the heat and the cold. He has played indoors and outdoors. He has played in front of crowds as small as 7,215 at Marlins Park and as large as 43,732 on July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Oh, say has he played.

By the time Doepke is scheduled to complete his quest early Thursday afternoon at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, he will have played in front of announced crowds of more than 800,000 paying fans, minus those stuck in traffic or unable to witness the military-style spectacle.

Wangyuxuan Xu/Naples Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK - FLORIDA

How his quest began

Doepke's quest began with a letter of recommendation from former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. It ends with attention from current commissioner Robert Manfred.

"Our sport is fortunate to have many great traditions that result from the talents of loyal fans," Manfred said. "We appreciate Jim’s dedication and commitment to sharing his skills with fans at all 30 ballparks."

Major League Baseball could not confirm Doepke becoming the first person to perform the anthem at all 30 ballparks. But because MLB does not track anthem performers, it could not deny the feat either. With SunTrust Park being just two years old, Doepke is most certainly the first anthem performer to hit all 30 current ballparks.

“Well, I can’t confirm that he’s the only one,” said Frank Coonelly, president of the Pittsburgh Pirates. “But what I can say is it’s a fabulous accomplishment. It could only be accomplished by somebody with the incredible determination to get the job done. It took persistence on his part to continue to knock on doors. It’s a fabulous, fabulous testament to his persistence and determination.”

Coonelly approached Doepke (pronounced DUP-key) after his anthem performance last Aug. 4 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh not just to congratulate him but to get to know him.

“I was intrigued by his mission,” Coonelly said. “I talked to him about where he had been and what his experiences were over the years and how he executed his vision. He loves baseball. He loves America. He thinks baseball and the national anthem are a big part of America, a big part of our country. He has a big passion for them.”

There has been a bit of a stigma, Doepke said, about his performances being played and not sung. He often hears fans singing along with his trumpet. The performance resonated with Coonelly.

“He did a stellar and great job,” Coonelly said. “When we go into a realm that is somewhat different for us, I always get a little nervous. A soloist on an instrument is not the norm for most teams. He knocked it out of the park so to speak. I thought it was fabulous, and the crowd really enjoyed it and appreciated it. I let him know that if he runs into any roadblocks in trying to complete his quest, he should feel free to give me a call or email me.”

Doepke did just that. He ran into roadblocks in more than a few places.

Hurdles encountered

In Miami, the person who booked the anthem told Doepke "maybe next year" for about six consecutive seasons. Then in December, Sergio Xiques took on the director of game entertainment role and finally booked Doepke.

Wangyuxuan Xu, Naples

The New York Yankees use a pre-recorded anthem for all but about a dozen of their 81 home games each season, which made for a longer-than-usual wait there.

And the Atlanta Braves usually limit their performances to corporate suite holders other than a handful of exceptions each season.

None of the hurdles, however, were greater than with the Los Angeles Angels.

The team has a strict, “no instrumentalists” policy. The Pirates' Connelly intervened. He contacted his counterpart there. During a West Coast swing in June, in which Doepke played before the Giants, Dodgers and Padres, the Angels allowed Doepke inside their ballpark to play the anthem at Angels Stadium while the team played on the road.

A man upstairs in a booth stuck his head out of a window and clapped and hooted and hollered after the performance, his cheers reverberating throughout the otherwise empty ballpark. Doepke had an audience of about four, including his wife, Liz, who has accompanied him to all but one of the performances. She traveled as far as Safeco Field in Seattle in 2013 and as near as Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg in 2011. She only missed the White Sox anthem in 2017.

“The California trip covering four stadiums really felt like the project was ‘rounding third and heading for home,’” Doepke said. As he walked off the field at Dodgers Stadium on June 17, retired manager Tommy Lasorda said goodbye and told him, ‘That was a Hall of Fame anthem!”

“Wow, I was really on cloud nine,” Doepke said.

Received trumpet more than 50 years ago

Doepke, 67, grew up playing the trumpet. He has a Bach Stradivarius, which cost about $400 when he received it more than 50 years ago. Considered antiques, they go for more than $2,200 these days. His father, World War II veteran Howard Schwartz Doepke, witnessed many of his son’s anthems at Milwaukee Brewers' games, including at his 100th birthday in 2015. He died earlier this year at age 103. His father’s military service inspired Doepke to perform the anthem as well as “Taps” at military funerals and occasions such as Memorial and Veterans Day.

Wangyuxuan Xu/Naples Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK - FLORIDA

On the eve of the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks while in Miami, Doepke had that in mind for inspiration as well.

Doepke has a vast background in music, having attended summer music camp at Northwestern University for three of his high school years. He also took lessons from the lead player with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He graduated from the University of Kansas, where he returns almost annually to play at Allen Fieldhouse for basketball games. He taught music in Wisconsin at elementary and high schools for 33 years.

In the early 2000s, Doepke began bringing a bugle to Brewers games. He played rally cries for fans in the “Buckethead” section overlooking the outfield.

Aleta Mercer took notice. As Milwaukee’s director of broadcasting and at the time entertainment, booking anthem performers fell under her responsibilities.

“When he was director of a local high school band, the band was incredible,” Mercer said of Waukesha North High, which had performed the anthem at Miller Park. “And that was largely due to Jim’s direction.”

Mercer encouraged Doepke to play the anthem himself.

“He knew music,” she said. “He knew how to keep the kids in mind. But he knew how to present the anthem in a fine way.”

View | 7 Photos

Photos of Jim Doepke's playing the trumpet across ballparks in America

Quest started in 2008 at Fenway Park

After the Doepkes moved to Estero in 2008, he became a part of the local sports scene, performing at FGCU sporting events, Fort Myers Miracle games, the City of Palms Classic high school basketball tournament and spring training games for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. He has played the anthem at all but two of the spring training ballparks: the new Cubs and Braves stadiums.

In 2008, Doepke set the goal to perform at every big league ballpark, setting up anthemacrossamerica.org. Although he had already played numerous times for the Brewers, he considered Fenway Park the first of his quest: May 17, 2008.

A family friend had connections to Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, who pulled a few strings. This taught Doepke that it’s not just what you know but who you know.

“Back in the early part of this project, it felt like the task was going to be insurmountable,” Doepke said. “Actually booking, traveling to and playing 30 stadiums. At first, there were just two, then one, then three, then back to one a year.”

In 2015, Doepke failed to book any anthems at all. He played three in each of 2016 (Twins, Indians, Reds) and 2017 (White Sox, Rangers, Astros).

“Then in 2018, momentum took over with four anthems,” he said. “And this year, the floodgates burst with 10 anthems. I’m enjoying the ride.”

Wangyuxuan Xu, The News-Press

FGCU athletic director Ken Kavanagh helped Doepke book performances at Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium this year, relying on some of his personal connections there.

“His ‘Anthem Across America’ has been awesome,” Kavanagh said. “How cool is that? It’s six degrees of separation in athletics. Some of the folks I knew were able to step in and help. I think it’s a win-win, because when they hear his ability, it’s a nice opportunity for the national anthem. I’ve been here 10 years now, and all during that time frame, he’s done our games. He’s part of the original core. Jim is a very recognizable talent now. He’s a bulldog. He probably wouldn’t be able to be where he’s at if he weren’t persistent. He has that tenacity and the ability to play that trumpet as well as he does. It’s neat for Southwest Florida to have his talent representing us.”

Jim Doepke/Special to news-press.com

The penultimate and final performances brought the project full circle for Doepke. His hometown Brewers played at the Marlins on Tuesday. Doepke chatted with John Counsell, a Fort Myers resident and father of Brewers manager Craig Counsell during the game. Jim's father and Craig's father knew each other during their time as Milwaukee civic group volunteers.

Jim Doepke began his quest at baseball's oldest ballpark. He is slated to finish it at the sport's newest. As he prepared to pack his trumpet into its black bag and leave Marlins Park, preparing for one final and historical performance in Atlanta, he marveled at the brass.

“I’ve thought about buying a new one, but why?” Doepke said of the trumpet, before answering his own question, a somewhat rhetorical one. “It plays great. After 53 years, it’s basically a part of me.”

When and where Doepke has played

In 2008 upon moving from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Estero, Florida, retired music teacher Jim Doepke set the goal to perform the national anthem on his trumpet at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. Here's when and where he played and the announced paid attendance for each game:

May 17, 2008 Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox, 37,847

Sept. 18, 2008 Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks, 34,323

Sept. 29, 2009 Coors Field, Colorado Rockies, 39,087

June 29, 2011 at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles, 17,405

July 3, 2011 National Park, Washington Nationals, 23,522

Aug. 19, 2011 Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay Rays, 14,884

July 3, 2012 Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers, 36,757

July 4, 2012 Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays, 17,831

July 22, 2013 Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners, 18,009

Aug. 31, 2014 Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Royals, 39,009

July 6, 2016 Target Field, Minnesota Twins, 27,657

Sept. 5, 2016 Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians, 13,062

Sept. 7, 2016 Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds, 13,936

June 15, 2017 Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago White Sox, 20,139

July 30, 2017 Globe Life Park, Texas Rangers, 32,437

July 31, 2017 Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros, 24,154

April 16, 2018 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland A’s, 7,419

Aug. 2, 2018 Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals, 41,478

Aug. 4, 2018 PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates, 32,473

Aug. 6, 2018 Citi Field, New York Mets, 21,644

June 16, 2019 Oracle Park, San Francisco Giants, 34,603

June 17, 2019 Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers, 42,479

June 18, 2019 Angels Stadium, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Empty ballpark

June 19, 2019 Petco Park, San Diego Padres, 28,144

July 13, 2019 Citizen Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies, 43,732

July 15, 2019 Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees, 43,173

July 20, 2019 Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs, 40,314

July 24, 2019 Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers, 39,682

Sept. 9, 2019 Marlins Park, Miami Marlins, 7,215

Sept. 19, 2019 Sun Trust Park, Atlanta Braves, TBA

View | 10 Photos

Jim Doepke of Estero trumpets national anthem at Marlins Park in Miami