James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known by his professional name of Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist.
McKay is best known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–1998). His "...thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" introduction for that program has passed into American pop culture. He is also known for television coverage of twelve Olympic Games, and for his reporting on the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
McKay covered a wide variety of special events, including horse races such as the Kentucky Derby, golf events such as the British Open, and the Indianapolis 500. McKay's son, Sean McManus, a protege of Roone Arledge, is president of CBS' Sports and News divisions.
Biography
Early life
McKay was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in the Overbrook section of the city. He attended Our Lady of Lourdes Grade School and Saint Joseph's Preparatory School.[1] At the age of 14 his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended Loyola Blakefield high school. He received a bachelor's degree from Loyola College in Maryland in 1943.[2] During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy as the captain of a minesweeper.[3]
Television
Later he gave up his job as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun newspapers to join that organization's new TV station WMAR-TV in 1947. He was the first voice ever heard on television in Baltimore, and he remained with the station until joining CBS in New York in 1950 as host of a variety show, called The Real McKay, which necessitated the changing of his on-air surname. Through the 1950s, sports commentary became more and more his primary assignment for CBS. He had a six-episode stint as host of the game show Make the Connection on NBC in 1955.
He moved on to ABC and was the host of ABC's influential Wide World of Sports for more than 40 years.
While covering the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics for ABC, McKay took on the job of reporting the events live on his only scheduled day off during the Games, substituting for Chris Schenkel.[3] He was on air for fourteen hours without a break,[3] during a sixteen hour broadcast.[4] After an unsuccessful rescue attempt of the athletes held hostage, at 3:24 AM German Time, McKay came on the air with this statement:
| “ |
When I was a kid my father used to say 'Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.' Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said there were eleven hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone."[4][5][6] |
” |
Although McKay received numerous accolades for his reporting of the Munich hostage crisis (including two Emmys, one for sports and one for news reporting), he stated (in a 2003 HBO documentary about his life and career) that he was most proud of a telegram praising his work he received the day after the massacre - from Walter Cronkite.
In 1994, he was the studio host for the FIFA World Cup coverage, the first ever held on American soil. McKay also covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup for ABC.
In 2002, ABC "loaned" McKay to NBC to serve as a special correspondent during the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
In 2003, HBO released a documentary by McKay called Jim McKay: My World In My Words, tracing his career. This hard-to-find film outlines McKay's personal and professional accomplishments.
Maryland horse racing
McKay was the founder of Maryland Million Day, a series of twelve races designed to promote Maryland's horse breeding industry. The day-long program has grown to become a major racing event in the state of Maryland, second only to the Preakness Stakes day at Pimlico Race Course. It has spawned more than twenty other similar events at U.S. race tracks such as the Sunshine Millions.
Death
McKay died on June 7, 2008 from natural causes.[2][7]
Honors
References
- ^ Schudel, Matt (June 8, 2008). "Philadelphia native Jim McKay dies at 86". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ a b "Jim McKay, ABC Sportscaster, Dies at 86", The New York Times (June 8, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ a b c Hiestand, Michael. "Jim McKay's wide world spanned eras." USA Today. 8 June 2008.
- ^ a b Hale, Mark. 5 Questions for Jim McKay. AmericanSportscasterOnline.com.
- ^ Kelly, Christopher. Modern Munich lives with its contradictions. Statesman.com. 7 January 2006.
- ^ Abramson, Alan. "Black September." Dallas Morning News. 5 September 2002.
- ^ "Sports' McKay Dies, Told World Of Munich Tragedy", Reuters (June 7, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ "Jim McKay, Olympics and ABC announcer, dies at age 86", ESPN (2008-06-07). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Associated Press (2008-06-07). "Sportscasting legend Jim McKay, famed for Munich coverage, dies", Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Hall of Fame Archives & Honorees. Accessed 7 June 2008.
External links
|
