The Passing of Jim McKay
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 3:23 pmNEW YORK (AP) -- Jim McKay, the venerable and eloquent sportscaster thrust into the role of telling Americans about the tragedy at the 1972 Munich Olympics, has died. He was 86.
McKay died Saturday of natural causes at his farm in Monkton, Md., said son Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports. 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. The show provided an international reach long before exotic backdrops became a staple of sports television.
McKay provided the famous voice-over that accompanied the opening in which viewers were reminded of the show's mission ("spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports") and what lay ahead ("the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat").
I am in the business I am today because of four men: Bud Greenspan, Jim McKay, Roone Arledge and Ed Sabol. McKay is a legend. His accomplishments are too numerous to list here but before their were the clowns on SportsCenter and blogs, there were the likes of Curt Cowdy, Lyndsay Nelson, Red Barber and Jim McKay. Attention must be paid.