Jim McKay
Jim McKay | |
---|---|
sportswriter , actor | |
Years active | 1955–2000 2002 2006 |
Spouse |
Margaret Dempsey (m. 1948) |
Children | Sean and Mary |
James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known professionally as Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist.
McKay was best known for hosting
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 protégé of Roone Arledge, is the chairman of CBS Sports.[1]
Early life
McKay was born in
In 1946, McKay returned to Baltimore and took a position with The Evening Sun as a police reporter. He was promoted to aviation reporter instead of getting a raise. During this time, he also met Margaret Dempsey, his future wife.[5]
Television
In 1947, McKay gave up his job as a reporter for The Evening Sun to join that same organization's new TV station
He moved on to ABC in 1961, and was the host of ABC's influential Wide World of Sports for 37 years.[3]
McKay was known to motor racing fans as the host of the ABC's annual delayed telecast of the Indianapolis 500. Over the years, McKay worked with race drivers in commentary, including triple Formula One World Champion Jackie Stewart, triple Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser, and Sam Posey.
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.[4] He was on air for fourteen hours without a break,[4] during a sixteen-hour broadcast.[7] After an unsuccessful rescue attempt of the athletes held hostage, at 3:24 a.m. Central European Time, McKay came on the air with this statement:[7][8][9]
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
Although McKay received numerous accolades for his reporting of the Munich hostage crisis (including two
McKay also hosted from the studio the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. A happier result came when the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in the Miracle on Ice. During the broadcast wrap-up after the game, McKay compared the American upset victory to a group of Canadian college football players defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers (the recent Super Bowl champions at the height of their dynasty).
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 and outlining McKay's personal and professional accomplishments.
Personal life
An avid horse racing enthusiast who raised thoroughbreds, McKay founded 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 United States race tracks such as the Sunshine Millions.
McKay and his wife purchased a minority share in the Baltimore Orioles in 1993. He participated in the effort to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to Baltimore and Washington.[5]
In 1995, McKay had heart surgery and was forced to miss the Preakness Stakes.
McKay died on June 7, 2008, from
Honors
- McKay won numerous awards, including the George Polk Award for his sports and news coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics.
- McKay was the first sportscaster to win an
- 1987: American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame, inducted along with veteran boxing and horse racing announcer Clem McCarthy.
- 1988: U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
- 1993: TV Guide named McKay the best sportscaster of the 1970s.[12]
- 2001: Paul White Award, Radio Television Digital News Association[13]
- McKay was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame during its 11th induction.[14]
- He was selected as the inaugural Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism recipient in 2002.
- The NBC broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was dedicated to McKay, per a message at the closing of the broadcast.[15]
- The National Collegiate Athletic Association has dedicated a scholarship for college athletes for postgraduate study in McKay's honor.[16]
- The Armory in New York City dedicated a high school track meet in his name on December 12, 2008.
References
- ^ a b Kent, Milton (May 15, 1998). "In his son, McKay has his biggest thrill". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (June 8, 2008). "Philadelphia native Jim McKay dies at 86". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ a b c d Litsky, Frank; Sandomir, Richard (June 8, 2008). "Jim McKay, Pioneer Sports Broadcaster, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hiestand, Michael (June 8, 2008). "Jim McKay's wide world spanned eras". USA Today.
- ^ a b c Zurawik, David; Keyser, Tom; Fenton, Justin. "Jim McKay dies at 86". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (July 19, 2009). "Amid Blizzard, Cronkite Helped Make Sports History". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Hale, Mark. 5 Questions for Jim McKay. AmericanSportscasterOnline.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Longtime ABC announcer McKay dies at age 86". ESPN.com. 7 June 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- Bio.2015. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
- ^ TV Guide April 17-23, 1993. 1993. p. 61.
- ^ "Paul White Award". Radio Television Digital News Association. Archived from the original on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
- ^ Hall of Fame Archives & Honorees. Accessed 26-03-2015.
- YouTube
- ^ "NCAA Creates Scholarship in Honor of Jim McKay". TVWeek.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
External links
- "Loyola Remembers Jim 'McKay' McManus of the Class of 1943," Loyola College in Maryland, Monday, June 9, 2008.
- Jim McKay-Hometown Hero
- Jim McKay on covering the 1972 Munich Olympics, 1998 interview by EmmyTVLegends.org (on YouTube)
- Jim McKay at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- Jim McKay at the Team USA Hall of Fame