<S>Curt Gowdy

[rpm]

FORT MYERS, Fla. - He was the smooth voice of sports history, a welcome companion who brought listeners Ted Williams’ last home run, the first Super Bowl and dozens of other dramatic moments.

Curt Gowdy, who died Monday, told generations of Americans about the games they loved from the broadcast booths at 13 World Series, 16 All-Star baseball games, numerous Rose Bowls, Super Bowls and the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

“He was the first superstar of sports television because he did all of the big events,” veteran NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg said. “He’s the last of the dinosaurs. No one will ever be the voice of so many major events at the same time ever again.”

Gowdy died of leukemia at his winter home in Palm Beach. He was 86.

He once said, “I tried to pretend that I was sitting in the stands with a buddy watching the game, poking him in the ribs when something exciting happened. I never took myself too seriously. An announcer is only as good as yesterday’s performance.”

Gowdy spent 15 years as the Boston Red Sox main play-by-play announcer from 1951-1965. He left the Red Sox for a 10-year stint as the baseball broadcaster on NBC’s “Game of the Week” through 1975.

He also covered many Super Bowls and NCAA basketball Final Fours.

“He’s certainly the greatest play-by-play person up to this point that NBC sports has ever had,” NBC Universal Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said from the Turin Olympics. “He literally carried the sports division at NBC for so many years on his back. ... He was a remarkable talent, and he was an even more remarkable human being.”

An avid outdoorsman, the native of Green River, Wyo., also was host of the “American Sportsman” series on ABC from the early 1960s into the 1980s.

On that program, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush appeared in fishing segments. Others guests on the fishing and hunting show were Williams, quarterback Terry Bradshaw, singer Bing Crosby, actor Andy Griffith and comedian Jonathan Winters.

George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said Gowdy’s contributions were “indelible.” He said Gowdy was a “pioneer in our business and set the highest of standards for everyone in sports broadcasting.”

He was inducted into the broadcast wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the American Sportscaster’s Hall of Fame in 1985. The Curt Gowdy State Park was established in Wyoming in 1971.

Gowdy is survived by his wife, Jerre; daughter Cheryl Ann; sons Trevor and Curt Jr., the vice president of production and executive producer of the Mets’ new SportsNet New York network; and five grandchildren.

A funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Trinity Church in Boston, with a private burial to follow.

Gowdy will be missed. He was definitely my favorite play by play man. I used to love The American Sportsman as well. My favorite episodes were Curt, Bing Crosby and Phil Harris duck hunting.

[Leslie]

Always looked forward to watching The American Sportsman hosted by Curt Gowdy every Sunday afternoon.  Sure brings back memories.  I couldn't hardly wait for Sunday to come around so I could watch that show.  I'd have to say it was my favorite of all the TV series back in the 60s.  Joe Foss was the original host, and then Curt Gowdy was host.  Loved that series.  Sunday was the day when all the good programs and movies were on after the football games.  Even the commercials were good.





Les

[midnight Target]

Curt was one of the best. I remember people actually caring about the "Game of the Week" and looking forward to the pitching matchups.