Jim McKay, 86, a longtime television sports journalist, has died of natural causes in Maryland, according to a statement from the McKay family.
McKay is best known for hosting “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” and 12 Olympic Games.
McKay won numerous awards for journalism, including the George Polk Memorial Award and two Emmys — one for his sports coverage, the other for his news reporting — for his work at the 1972 Munich Olympics, which were tragically affected by the Black September terrorists’ attack on the Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village.
“There are no superlatives that can adequately honor Jim McKay. He meant so much to so many people. He was a founding father of sports television, one of the most respected commentators in the history of broadcasting and journalism,” ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer said in a statement.
“For more than 60 years he brought sports into the homes of Americans on Wide World of Sports, the Olympics and many other programs that captured the essence of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Well, I guess I can’t say any better, except of course that his is a voice I grew up with…. hell, that most of us grew up with. One of the great ones, certainly.
Tags: 1972 munich olympics, ABC, abc sports, agony of defeat, black september, broadcasting, George Bodenheimer, George Polk, history of broadcasting, israeli athletes, Jim McKay, journalism, Maryland, mckay family, Munich, olympic games, Olympic Village, RIP, sports coverage, sports journalist, television, television sports, thrill of victory, wide world of sports
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