Olympics on ABC commentators
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The following is a list of commentators that were featured in the American Broadcasting Company's (ABC) television coverage of the Olympic Games from the its first Olympic Games, the 1964 Winter Olympics through the 1988 Winter Olympics, it's final Olympic telecast to date.
Hosts[edit]
Winter Olympic Games[edit]
Summer Olympic Games[edit]
| Year | Prime-Time Host | Daytime Host(s) | Late-Night Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Chris Schenkel[20] | ||
| 1972 | Chris Schenkel[21] | ||
| 1976 | Jim McKay[1] | ||
| 1984 | Jim McKay | Frank Gifford Kathleen Sullivan[22] |
Jim Lampley[23] Donna de Varona |
By event[edit]
Winter Olympics[edit]
1964[edit]
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Skiing | Jim McKay[24] | Andrea Mead Lawrence[25] Willy Schaeffler[26] |
| Figure Skating | Dick Button[27] | Carol Heiss[28] |
| Bobsled | Stan Benham[29] |
1968[edit]
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Skiing | Jim McKay | |
| Figure Skating | Chris Schenkel[30] | Dick Button[31] |
| Hockey | Curt Gowdy[32] | |
| Ski Jumping | Art Devlin[33] |
1976[edit]
| Features | Jim Lampley Pierre Salinger |
|---|
ABC Sports hired Bob Beattie as a ski-racing commentator, where he was frequently paired with Frank Gifford, a former NFL running back. Beattie's television work included alpine commentary during ABC's coverage of four Winter Olympics in 1976, 1980, 1984,[34] and 1988,[35] and also covered volleyball at the 1984 Summer Olympics.[36] He later worked as ABC's winter sports correspondent, which also involved non-alpine sports,[37] and occasionally worked as an announcer for non-winter sports on ABC's Wide World of Sports program.[38]
1980[39][40][edit]
| Features | Jim Lampley Don Meredith |
|---|
One of Al Michaels's more famous broadcasts were of the 1980 Winter Olympics ice hockey medal round match between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the attempted third game of the 1989 World Series.
In 1980, an unheralded group of college ice hockey players from the United States won the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games. The medal round match on February 22—which, contrary to popular belief, did not yet assure the team of the gold medal—was of particular interest, as it was played against a heavily favored professional squad from the Soviet Union, and was in front of an incredibly excited pro-American crowd in Lake Placid, New York. Michaels's memorable broadcast of this game, including his interjection—"Do you believe in miracles? YES!"—as time expired on the 4–3 U.S. victory, earned the game the media nickname of The Miracle on Ice.
Most assume that the game was broadcast live (indeed, CTV, which held Canadian rights to the game, aired it live); but in reality, the game started at 5:05 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and ABC decided against pre-empting local and network news (on the East Coast) to carry the game live. Instead, most of it—including the entire third period—was broadcast within the regularly scheduled, prime-time telecast from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Eastern time (and on a six-and-a-half-hour delay on the West Coast from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Pacific Standard Time). Despite being on tape, the game was one of the highest-rated programs of the 1979–80 television season and remains the most-watched ice hockey game in the history of American television.[41]
Michaels, along with broadcasting partner Ken Dryden, recreated their Olympic commentary in the 2004 movie Miracle. Although Michaels and Dryden recreated the bulk of their commentary for the film, the closing seconds of the game against the Soviet Union used the original ABC Sports commentary from 1980. Gavin O'Connor, the director of Miracle, decided to use the last 10 seconds of Michaels's original "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call in the film because he felt he couldn't ask him to recreate the emotion he experienced at that moment. Thus they cleaned up the recording to make the transition to the authentic call as seamless as possible.
Michaels later recalled, "When I look back, obviously Lake Placid would be the highlight of my career. I can't think of anything that would ever top it. I can't dream up a scenario."
Michaels was only on this particular assignment because he had done one hockey game,[42] eight years prior. The game in question was the gold medal game (the Soviet Union vs. Czechoslovakia) of the 1972 Winter Olympics (on NBC) in Sapporo, Japan. Other announcers on the ABC Sports roster such as Keith Jackson, Frank Gifford, and Howard Cosell had never done a hockey game before. Michaels recalled this during a Real Sports interview in January 2009. Michaels also apparently beat out WABC-AM and New York Islanders commentator George Michael for the assignment.[43][44]
Two days later, Michaels would broadcast the gold medal game, in which the U.S. defeated Finland, closing the game out by declaring "This impossible dream comes true!"
Al Michaels continued serving as ABC's lead play-by-play announcer for their ice hockey coverage for their next two Winter Olympics, both with Dryden, the lead color commentator. In 1984 from Sarajevo, Mike Eruzione, who was the captain of the gold medal-winning United States ice hockey team from 1980, primarily worked with Don Chevrier. For ABC's final Winter Olympics four years later, Eruzione was this time, paired with Jiggs McDonald.
1984[edit]
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators | Reporters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsled | Tim Brant | John Morgan | |
| Ski Jumping | Keith Jackson | Jay Rand | |
| Cross Country | Jack Whitaker | Jack Turner | Diana Nyad |
| Alpine Skiing | Frank Gifford Jim Lampley (women's downhill) |
Bob Beattie Cindy Nelson (women's downhill) | |
| Luge | Sam Posey | Jeff Tucker | |
| Figure Skating | Al Michaels | Peggy Fleming and Dick Button | |
| Ice Hockey | Al Michaels Don Chevrier |
Ken Dryden Mike Eruzione | |
| Speed Skating | Keith Jackson Don Chevrier (men's 5000) |
Eric Heiden |
| Features | Hughes Rudd Ray Gandolf Jim Lampley Dick Schaap Anne Simon Terre Blair Barbara Kolonay |
|---|
1988[edit]
| Features | Donna de Varona Becky Dixon Jim Hill Tim McCarver Jack Whitaker (essayist) Dan Dierdorf Cheryl Miller |
|---|
Summer Olympics[edit]
1972[edit]
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Ceremony | Jim McKay | |
| Track & Field | Jim McKay[45] | Bill Toomey (400m races) Marty Liquori[46][47] (150m and 800m races) Erich Segal[48] (marathon) |
| Swimming | Keith Jackson[49] | |
| Diving | Bill Flemming | Ken Sitzberger[50] (men) Micki King (women) |
| Basketball | Frank Gifford[51] Bill Flemming (filled in for Gifford while he did wrestling) |
Bill Russell[52] |
| Gymnastics | Jim McKay | Gordon Maddux[53] |
| Boxing | Howard Cosell[54] | |
| Wrestling | Frank Gifford |
In 1972, NBC showed the Winter Games from Sapporo, Japan, then ABC returned to carry the Summer Games in Munich, Germany. It was during the Summer Games that Palestinian terrorists attacked the Olympic Village and killed 11 Israeli athletes. Although Chris Schenkel was the actual host of the Games that year, Arledge assigned the story to McKay largely because he was a local news anchor in Baltimore, Maryland prior to joining CBS in 1950 and later ABC in 1961. McKay was joined on set by ABC news correspondent (and former and future evening news anchor) Peter Jennings, and coverage continued for many hours, until the outcome was known. Howard Cosell went with the film crew to get interviews in the village.
After an unsuccessful rescue attempt of the athletes held hostage, at 3:24 AM German Time, McKay came on the air with this statement:[55][56]
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 11 hostages; two were killed in their rooms this morn-- yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone.
— McKay, 1972
McKay later won an Emmy Award for his coverage.[57] He stated in a 2003 HBO documentary about his life and career that he was most proud of a telegram he received from Walter Cronkite the day after the massacre praising his work.
Howard Cosell also played a key role on ABC's coverage of the Palestinian terror group Black September's mass murder of Israeli athletes in Munich at the 1972 Summer Olympics; providing reports directly from the Olympic Village (his image can be seen and voice heard in Steven Spielberg's film about the terror attack).
In the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, and the 1984 games in Los Angeles, Cosell was the main voice for boxing. Sugar Ray Leonard won the gold medal in his light welterweight class at Montreal, beginning his meteoric rise to a world professional title three years later. Cosell became close to Leonard, during this period, announcing many of his fights.[58]
Keith Jackson was also involved in ABC's coverage of the 1972 Summer Olympics and continued to contribute even when the attack by Palestinian terrorists transformed the coverage from that of a typical sporting event to a greater international and historical news event.[59] In all, he covered a total of 10 Summer and Winter Olympic Games.[60] Jackson covered swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics and track and field at the 1976 Summer Games. He covered speed-skating during the 1980 Winter Olympics featuring Eric Heiden. He was offered the position of play-by-play for hockey, but turned it down (the position ultimately went to Al Michaels). Jackson called speed skating and ski jumping at the 1984 Winter Olympics. He covered basketball in 1984. He was the weekend afternoon host for ABC's final Olympics in 1988 from Calgary.[61]
1976[edit]
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators |
|---|---|---|
| Track & Field | Keith Jackson | O. J. Simpson Bob Seagren Brian Oldfield Marty Liquori (men) Wyomia Tyus (women) |
| Swimming | Keith Jackson | Mark Spitz (men) Donna de Varona (women) |
| Diving | Bill Flemming | Ken Sitzberger (men) Micki King (women) |
| Basketball | Frank Gifford Curt Gowdy |
Bill Russell |
| Gymnastics | Chris Schenkel | Gordon Maddux (men) Cathy Rigby (women) |
| Boxing | Howard Cosell | |
| Wrestling | Frank Gifford | Ken Kraft |
| Equestrian | Chris Schenkel Jackie Stewart (Filled in for Schenkel when he covered Gymnastics.) |
Bill Steinkraus |
| Rowing | Frank Gifford | Fritz Hobbs |
| Features | Pierre Salinger Jim Lampley Dave Diles |
|---|
1984[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Jim McKay hosted opening and closing ceremonies only, Chris Schenkel hosted the Olympics.
- ^ Jim McKay hosted Monday to Friday, Keith Jackson hosted weekends.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Gallant, Joseph. "The World Comes Together in Your Living Room: The Olympics on TV". TV Broadcasting History - Various Articles.
- ^ Blanton, Tom (February 10, 1976). "ABC's Fall From Olympus". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Eldridge, Larry (June 8, 2008). "FROM OUR FILES: A true pro at the Olympics: TV host Jim McKay". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Williams, Jim. "McKay's death resonates across the globe". Washington Examier. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Fea, John (February 9, 2022). "How ABC and the "Miracle on Ice" shaped Olympic television coverage". currentpub.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Larry (February 26, 1988). "Even More to ABC's Problems at Calgary Than Meets the Eye". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Hill, Michael E. (July 21, 1984). "KATHLEEN SULLIVAN / ON A ROLL WITH THE OLYMPICS". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Dowd, Maureen (January 13, 1994). "A star's abrupt and painful fall". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES, THE XIV {1984 SARAJEVO OLYMPICS} {1984/02/14}, PART 1 (TV)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (February 20, 1984). "1-2 AND BABY MAKES 3". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Jim McKay
- ^ "Famed broadcaster Jim McKay dies". The Orange County Register. June 7, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Brennan, Christine (June 12, 2008). "McKay's Olympics thing of past". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Fang, Ken (January 16, 2018). "An appreciation of Keith Jackson". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (January 13, 2018). "Keith Jackson, Voice of College Football, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "ABC DELIVERS THE GOLD AT THE WINTER GAMES". Chicago Tribune. February 14, 1988. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Shenher, Lorimer. This One Looks Like a Boy: My Gender Journey to Life as a Man.
- ^ Fang, Ken (August 10, 2015). "Frank Gifford, 1930-2015". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Larry (September 14, 1988). "OLYMPICS '88: A PREVIEW : NBC Hoping to Tell Story, Not Become It, With Its TV Coverage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Chris Schenkel On-Air Talent Year Inducted". Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "YOU CAN'T KEEP HIM DOWN ON THE FARM". Sports Illustrated. July 18, 1984. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "As Kathleen Sullivan covers O. J. Simpson, anything qualifies as entertainment". The Baltimore Sun. March 19, 1995. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Deitsch, Richard (February 14, 2014). "NBC's Vieira to become first woman to host primetime Olympics solo". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Skiing Heritage Journal Sep 2008. International Skiing History Association. p. 40.
- ^ "1964 Olympic Slalom: Stiegler, Kidd, Heuga". International Skiing History Association.
Commentary by ABC's Jim McKay and Andrea Mead Lawrence
- ^ "Rv Key... Prevewers Recommend These Programs Tonight. - Page 5". Meriden Journal. February 7, 1964. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "Olympic Coverage Begins Monday. - Page 4". The Bryan Times. February 4, 1964. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Lawrence, Kelli. Skating on Air: The Broadcast History of an Olympic Marquee Sport. McFarland. p. 205.
- ^ "Albuquerque Journal Newspaper Archives, Feb 6, 1964, p. ..." NewspaperArchive. February 6, 1964. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "Southwest Times, Volume 65, Number 8, 6 February 1968". Southwest Times. February 6, 1968. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Beach, Laura (March 28, 2017). "Dick Button: The Olympic Champion On The Art Of Skating". Antiques and The Arts Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "People in Sports". The New York Times. January 1, 1976. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "...Of Winter Olympics. - Page 39". The Press-Courier. February 4, 1968. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
stowe reporter 2013was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The Washington Post (February 13, 1988). "ABC has new technology for Winter Olympics". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. TV Week section, p. 3. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ^ "Games of the XXIII Olympiad, The {1984 Los Angeles Olympics} {1984/08/02}, Part 1: Boxing (Men), Volleyball (Women) (TV)". Paley Center for Media. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ Nidetz, Steve (December 8, 1989). "The Soviets Help Fuel A Most Chilling Adventure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ "Bob Beattie, the patriarch of American skiing, dies at 85". The Denver Post. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ^ The Palm Beach Post - Feb 8, 1980
- ^ Boca Raton News - Feb 8, 1980
- ^ "Olympic final most-watched hockey game in 30 years – NHL.com – All-Access Vancouver". nhl.com. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
- ^ Hirdt, Steve (July 23, 2021). "Yes, Al, We Do Believe In Miracles". The Analyst.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Syken, Bill (November 15, 2004), "He Missed the Call!", Sports Illustrated, vol. 101, no. 19, archived from the original on October 25, 2012
- ^ Schaeffler, Jimmy (July 1, 2022). "Jim McKay's Sixth Olympics: Munich 1972". MultichannelNews. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "Legendary Miler and Broadcaster Marty Liquori wins 2023 H.D. Thoreau Track & Field Broadcasting Award". November 8, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Scheiber, Dave (June 27, 2000). "A RUNNER'S RHYTHM". Tampy Bay Times. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "50 years after winning the Olympic Marathon, Frank Shorter reflects on the games marked by tragedy". WVTF. September 9, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "Person of the Week: Keith Jackson". ABC News. April 28, 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "On The Bench. - Page 7". Lawrence Journal-World. September 5, 1972.
- ^ Frommer, Fredderic J. (October 19, 2022). "50 years later, the chaotic end of a U.S.-USSR basketball game still stings". The Washingon Post.
- ^ Halberstam, David J. (August 2, 2022). "Bill Russell was also an analyst; Play-by-play voices must know the difference between radio and TV". Sports Broadcast Journal. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (August 22, 2004). "TV SPORTS; Die Was Cast For Broadcasters At the '72 Games". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "USA boxer Tim Dement recalls the 1972 Olympic Games Saturday at La. Sports Hall of Fame". Sabine Parish Journal. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Christopher (7 January 2006). "Modern Munich lives with its contradictions". Statesman.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
- ^ Abramson, Alan (5 September 2002). "Black September". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 23 October 2005.
- ^ The Tragedy of the Munich Games (DVD). ABC Sports. 2002.
- ^ "I Never Played The Game", by Howard Cosell, 1985
- ^ NSSA Hall Of Fame: 1986-1995 Inductees Archived August 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, Accessed August 20, 2007.
- ^ Andrew Krebs, Wide world of Jackson Archived December 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Collegian, November 8, 1997.
- ^ "Video". CNN. February 9, 1987. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ He was relegated to near obscurity at the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles, covering only the snippets of basketball that ABC presented.
- ^ "GAMES OF THE XXIII OLYMPIAD, THE {1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS} {1984/08/07}, PART 4: TENNIS (MEN) (TV)". The Paley Center for Media.
- ^ "GAMES OF THE XXIII OLYMPIAD, THE {1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS} {1984/08/06}, PART 1: FENCING (MEN), WEIGHTLIFTING (MEN) (TV)". The Paley Center of Media.