The first annual Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Ceremony will be hosted by Jim Nantz of CBS Sports and Bob Costas of NBC Sports/HBO. The event, which will honor 11 sports TV figures, is scheduled for the evening of Dec. 11, at the New York Hilton in New York City.
"Having two of the most recognized figures in sports broadcasting host our ceremony further underscores the widespread industry support we are receiving for this long-overdue event," explains Selection Committee Chairman Ken Aagaard, who is also senior vice president of Operations and Production Services for CBS Sports. "This will truly be an evening in which the luminaries in sports broadcasting come out to honor their own and recognize those giants who came before us."
Jim Nantz, the lead play-by-play NFL announcer for CBS, has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Network since 1985. He was named the 2005 National Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Bob Costas, a 27-year veteran of NBC Sports, has hosted seven Olympics and been prominently involved in several World Series, Super Bowl and NBA Finals broadcasts. He also has received 15 Sports Emmys as a broadcaster and two Sports Emmys for writing and another as host of the general interest program "Later with Bob Costas" on NBC.
The inaugural class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame includes:
Roone Arledge, Chairman of ABC Sports from 1977 until 2002, Arledge is the unquestionable father of the modern era of TV sports broadcasting.
Julius Barnathan, who for more than 40 years helped transform ABC Sports and the Olympic games into a technical powerhouse.
Frank Chirkinian, who revolutionized PGA coverage and turned the Masters into a TV sports mainstay at CBS Sports.
Howard Cosell, who changed the role of the sportscaster and in two-minutes during halftime of every MNF telecast helped redefine the way viewers and producers approached highlights.
Harry Coyle, who came up with the center-field shot in baseball, which still remains the defining element of a baseball telecast.
Jim McKay, who hosted ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” from 1961-1998, transforming the very definition of televised sports into something more than just baseball and football.
Pete Rozelle, who turned the NFL into the premier sports league in the country and helped make the NFL the first league to broadcast every game on TV.
Ed Sabol, who brought fans closer to the action than ever through NFL Films, the company he founded.
Tom Shelburne, the founder of NEP SuperShooters, who played a huge role in establishing the remote production vehicle market that plays an integral part in every TV sports production.
Larry Thorpe, for his constant cheerleading of the HDTV format around the globe but also his integral role in the development of the CCD and the color studio camera.
George Wensel, who embodied the sports TV technical professional during his short life, becoming a “must have” tech during his days at NEP.
The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is produced by the Sports Video Group.
