R.I.P. Jim McKay (ABC Sports)

[Agarn]

The long time host of Wide World of Sports has passed away at age 86. Jim McKay was one of the classiest guys ever on televsion.
if you grew up during the 60's and 70's (before ESPN), Jim represented the best in sports coverage. his was the voice that introduced you every week to "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". he will forever be linked to the coverage of the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972, his coverage of that event is still haunting and moving to this day. but it was his "up close and personal" approach to covering athletics that set him apart from the rest. it was never about him. he always took a back seat to the story, and by stepping back he made himself great.

[scooteraz]

I remember in the early years McKay covering fireman competitions. Weird, souped up "fire engines" and crazy fire men jumping off at about 20 mph, pulling off a hose and trying to hit a target in the shortest time. So incredibly dumb, but he made it sound so, so very cool (I wanted to try that too, as did every sport he announced). His true love of anything sports just showed through in everything he did.

RIP Jim.

[Joe-Bob]

I remember him. He was a class act. He will be missed.

[ednew]

Originally Posted by Agarn

The long time host of Wide World of Sports has passed away at age 86. Jim McKay was one of the classiest guys ever on televsion.
if you grew up during the 60's and 70's (before ESPN), Jim represented the best in sports coverage. his was the voice that introduced you ever week to "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". he will forever be linked to the coverage of the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972, his coverage of that event is still haunting and moving to this day. but it was his "up close and personal" approach to covering athletics that set him apart from the rest. it was never about him. he always took a back seat to the story, and by stepping back he made himself great.

Thank you for that post, Agarn. I really appreciate and totally agree with your comments.

Ed

[e-merlin]

Agarn, you said it all. He always gave the impression that he was a classy guy, too. I don't think I ever heard him badmouth anyone, as is so common with sports "analysts" today. Truly a broadcast great.

[Southern ILL]

God bless him and his loved ones....Class act!!

[markothefish]

I'll never forget as a young child and my father calling me into the living room to see the drama unfold during the "72" Munich Olympics . Jim McKay was and will always be known as the consummate on air professional . I always think of him and the Wide World of Sports open .

[dobrodoc]

I heard a story that an ABC exec wanted to send a news guy over to cover the '72 Olympics, but McKay was doing such a great job they kept him on the air for 20-something hours straight. Did he win an Emmy for that?
"From the Thrill of Victory to the Agony of Defeat!" McKay was first-class.
And remember the old pre-PCshow, "The American Sportsman?" They'd take a celebrity actor hunting, or something?
We won't see another Jim McKay. IMHO, he was right up there with Cronkite and the other news guys of my youth. Classy---those cats would've laughed out loud at Geraldo Rivera or Ann Coulter.
RIP, Jim. Prayers for your family.

[garytelecastor]

I think the most memorable thing he ever did was the covering of the murder of the Isrealite athletes by terrorists at the Olympics. "We've just got word, they've all been killed.They're all gone...they're all gone."
As so many have said-He was a class act.

[Mark Davis]

The guy that fell off the ski jump at the first of every Wide World of Sports is an iconic moment.

Ali and Howard Cosell were classics. Evel Knievel was unreal. Saw the best boxing matches ever all for free on free TV.

We wont ever see stuff like this again and Jim was a big part of it.