Thrill and Agony - An Outstanding Career

Jim McKay, 1921 - 2008. Pioneering sportscaster on ABC's Wide World of Sports. He reportedly ad-libbed what is perhaps one of the most quoted lines in sports broadcasting:

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

He was an icon in sports broadcasting, and after the massacre of the Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972, a broadcasting giant as well. He always portrayed class and grace no matter what he was covering. He did it all with good humor.

I had the chance to meet him briefly one time. I was working at the ABC Radio affiliate in South Williamsport, PA. Our studios were just down the hill behind Lamade Field, home to the Little League World Series. Like many of the other local stations we broadcast all of the games and so I had the chance to hang out around the field every day. The Little League World Championship Game was always broadcast by Wide World of Sports in those days so I hung out around where the ABC trailer was as unobtrusively as possible.

Sure enough along comes Jim McKay. And like any groupie I approached him and simply put my hand out and told him how much I always enjoyed what he did. He smiled, shook my hand and said thank you. We both went our own ways. Nothing grand or out of the ordinary. I was just one more unknown face he had greeted- and would greet- in a long and distinguished career.

With the proliferation of news and sports and cable we have also had a proliferation of Big Name Stars. None will ever equal the pioneers like McKay who helped make their jobs possible.