Ray Scott (sportscaster)
Ray Scott | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ray Eugene Scott June 17, 1919 Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) | Bonnie Scott (2nd) Eda Scott (1st) |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Hal Scott (brother) |
Ray Eugene Scott (June 17, 1919 – March 23, 1998) was an American
Early life and career
A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Scott began his broadcasting career on local radio in the late 1930s. (Fellow announcer Bill McColgan, in his introduction of Scott for the radio broadcast of the 1957 NFL Championship Game, stated that Scott started broadcasting when he was only 17 years old.) Following a stint in the U.S. Army during World War II, he moved to Pittsburgh, where he did play-by-play for Carnegie Tech and University of Pittsburgh football and Duquesne University basketball.
Green Bay Packers and CBS Sports
Scott's first NFL broadcasts came in
Scott was paired primarily with Tony Canadeo on Packers telecasts. As the team's play-by-play announcer, Scott broadcast Super Bowl I and II for CBS, along with the brutally cold "Ice Bowl" NFL championship game of 1967. It was during this period that his terse, minimalist style (e.g. : "Starr . . . Dowler . . . Touchdown, Green Bay!") developed its greatest following. It also earned him a reputation as the "King of Understatement". Scott was also known for only occasionally using team names while broadcasting, more often identifying them by their city.
In
Baseball broadcasting
Scott was the lead television and radio announcer for
Later life and career
CBS dismissed Scott in 1974,[1] replacing him with his color commentator, Summerall. He was subsequently employed as a local radio announcer by the Kansas City Chiefs (1974–75), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976–77), and Minnesota Vikings (1978–82). Scott also served as a narrator for the NFL Films Game of the Week in the 1970s and called play-by-play of Phoenix Suns basketball in 1974–75, syndicated broadcasts of Penn State football from 1975–81, the USFL's Arizona Wranglers in 1983 and 1984, and the Portland Breakers in the 1985 season. In 1988, Scott was one of several veteran announcers to call some September NFL telecasts for NBC, while many of the network's regular broadcasters were working at that year's Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Scott also called
Scott died in 1998 at age 78 in Minneapolis following a long illness. He was survived by his second wife, Bonnie, and his first wife, Eda and their five children, including a son Patrick Scott, who resides in Ramsey County, Minnesota and broadcasts with Sheriff Bob Fletcher during their "Live On Patrol" podcast that streams on Facebook and YouTube each Friday night.
Awards and honors
Scott was twice named National Sportscaster of the Year by the
Scott was ranked 28th in the American Sportscasters Association's list of the Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time in 2009.[4] His bare-bones style has inspired many sportscasters.
References
- ^ a b "Ray Scott, 78, Voice of Packers During Glory Seasons in the 60's," The New York Times, Sunday, March 29, 1998.
- ^ Egan, John (September 25, 1987). "Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Joe Paterno, Red Grange, Sandy Koufax, Harmon Killebrew and Bud Grant - the names trigger dozens of stories". USA Today.
- ^ Christl, Cliff. "Ray Scott". Packers.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "American Sportscasters Association's Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time". American Sportscasters Online. Retrieved February 10, 2022.