Jim McKayWide World of Sports sports caster Jim McKay has passed at the age of 86. The Emmy Award winning broadcaster died at his home in Maryland after a long illness.
Jim McKay, the television sportscaster who told the world that a hostage situation at the 1972 Olympics in Munich had turned into a massacre of the Israeli team, died today after a long illness in his home state of Maryland. He was 86.
Jim McKay was the host of ``ABC's Wide World of Sports'' for 37 seasons, from the first day the program aired on April 1, 1961 until it was canceled in 1997. He traveled 4.5 million miles to cover more than 100 events in 40 countries. In 1968, he became the first sports commentator to win an Emmy Award, and he went on to win 12 more.
``There are not many men who achieved what Jim McKay achieved both professionally and personally,'' said his son, Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports. ``He had a flawless reputation and was a legendary figure in the history of sports television. However, with all his achievements the most important thing in his life was his family.''
Jim McKay covered 12 Olympics as a reporter, all but two for ABC. He hosted the 1960 Rome Games for CBS and the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City for NBC. He also anchored coverage of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary for ABC.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment