tugmoose Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 He was a good one. Sportscaster Jim McKay dies at 87By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer9 minutes agoNEW YORK - Jim McKay, the veteran and eloquent sportscaster thrust into the role of telling Americans about the tragedy at the 1972 Munich Olympics, has died. He was 87. McKay died Saturday of natural causes at his farm in Monkton, Md. The broadcaster who considered horse racing his favorite sport died only hours before Big Brown attempted to win a Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes. He was host of ABC's influential "Wide World of Sports" for more than 40 years, starting in 1961. The weekend series introduced viewers to all manner of strange, compelling and far-flung sports events. McKay also covered 12 Olympics, but none more memorably than the Summer Games in Munich, Germany. He was the anchor when events turned grim with the news that Palestinian terrorists kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes. It was left to McKay to tell Americans when a commando raid to rescue the athletes ended in tragedy. "They're all gone," McKay said. He won both a news and sports Emmy Award for his coverage of the Munich Olympics in addition to the prestigious George Polk award. "In the long run, that's the most memorable single moment of my career," said McKay, an Emmy Award winning broadcaster who was also in the studio for the United States' "Miracle on Ice" victory over Russia. "I don't know what else would match that." A veteran of the U.S. Navy in World War II, McKay was the first on-air television broadcaster seen in Baltimore. He worked at CBS Sports briefly, but did his most memorable work at ABC Sports when it dominated the business under leader Roone Arledge. "He had a remarkable career and a remarkable life," said Sean McManus, McKay's son and the president of CBS News and Sports. "Hardly a day goes by when someone doesn't come up to me and say how much they admired my father." McKay was the first sportscaster to win an Emmy Award. He won 12, the last in 1988. ABC calculated that McKay traveled some 4 1/2 million miles to work events. He covered more than 100 different sports in 40 countries. "There are no superlatives that can adequately honor Jim McKay," said George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports. "He meant so much to so many people. He was a founding father of sports television, one of the most respected commentators in the history of broadcasting and journalism." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Cousin Tupelo Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 He was a good one. Just one more stark example of the integrity media has lost. A truly trusted chronicalizer (is that a word?) of sports -- and political -- history. Today with have Chris Berman, steroids and "Booyah!" The tragedy of defeat, indeed. He has already been missed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I grew up on a steady diet of Wide World of Sports, and Jim McKay always seemed to me to have the coolest job in the world ... and he was damn good at it. Still damn good well into his 80s. A lot of famous people die and I see word of their passing and it really doesn't affect me ... but this guy was a major figure in my childhood. RIP, Jim. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stooka Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 God bless Jim McKay Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied lightning Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I grew up on a steady diet of Wide World of Sports, and Jim McKay always seemed to me to have the coolest job in the world ... and he was damn good at it. Still damn good well into his 80s. A lot of famous people die and I see word of their passing and it really doesn't affect me ... but this guy was a major figure in my childhood. RIP, Jim. same for me. Would look forward to Saturday afternoons, to see sports you never got to see.His voice will forever be in my head RIP Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twisted Acres Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 As recognizable a television voice as there has ever been. Always loved to watch "Wide World of Sports," especially when the Globetrotters or Evel Knievel were on. I had that entire opening monologue from the show ("Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports... the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat... the human drama of athletic competition...") memorized as a kid. It's amazing, what a different age it is, back then we had but 7 or so channels to choose from, and on a Saturday afternoon in winter time, if you weren't out hurling snowballs at a bus, you were watching Jim McKay. Rest in peace, Jim. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aricandover Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I have many memories of hearing his voice as a little kid on those Saturday afternoons. RIP to a legend. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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