Jim McKay
James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known by his professional name of Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist.
Jim McKay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | James Kenneth McManus September 24, 1921 |
| Died | June 7, 2008 (aged 86) Monkton, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Sportscaster, sportswriter, actor |
| Years active | 1955–2000 2002 2006 |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Dempsey (1948–2008); his death |
| Children | Sean and Mary |
McKay is best known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–1998). He covered 12 Olympic Games. He earned respect for his memorable reporting on the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics.[1]
McKay covered a wide variety of special events, including horse races such as the Kentucky Derby, golf events such as the British Open, and the Indianapolis 500.[2]
Honors
- McKay won many awards for journalism and auto racing. McKay won the George Polk Award for his sports and news coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics.
- McKay won over twelve Emmy Awards in his lifetime.[3]
- In 1987, McKay was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
- In 1988, McKay was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
- In 1993, TV Guide named McKay the best sportscaster of the 1970s.[4]
- McKay was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame during its 11th induction.[5]
- He was selected as the first Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism recipient in 2002.
- The NBC broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was dedicated to McKay, per a message at the closing of the broadcast.[6]
- The National Collegiate Athletic Association has dedicated a scholarship for college athletes for postgraduate study in McKay's honor.[7]
References
- ↑ Hiestand, Michael (June 8, 2008). "Jim McKay's wide world spanned eras". USA Today.
- ↑ Kelly, Jacques (October 16, 2009). Margaret Dempsey McManus dies at 89. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bal-md.ob.mcmanus16oct16,0,4214234,print.story.[dead link]
- ↑ Jim McKay, Olympics and ABC announcer, dies at age 86. ESPN. 2008-06-07. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3430672. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ↑ TV Guide April 17-23, 1993. 1993. p. 61.
- ↑ Hall of Fame Archives & Honorees. Accessed 7 June 2008.
- ↑ Olympics 2008 Opening Ceremony Intro and Ending **Courtesy of NBC** at YouTube
- ↑ "NCAA Creates Scholarship in Honor of Jim McKay". TVWeek.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2012-10-08.