ABC Monday Night Football (MNF)
Howard Cosell
Broadcaster and legendary sports-journalist
"Every person working in sports journalism
today owes a tremendous debt to Howard Cosell. His greatest contribution
was elevating sports reporting out of daily play-by-play and placing it in
the larger context of society."
-- Roone Arledge, former President of ABC Sports
ABC Monday Night Football (MNF)
"HELLO AGAIN, EVERYBODY, THIS IS HOWARD COSELL
SPEAKING OF SPORTS"
"to voices what the Grand Canyon is to ditches.… "
-- Dave Kindred, Sports Journalist, author
| Whether revered or
reviled, Howard Cosell was just as good at creating an audience as he was
at alienating it, and that was just what professional football needed. It's time for the late Howard Cosell, and devoted NFL football fans to see Howard Cosell receive proper recognition in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio in return for his exceptional contributions to the game of professional football. The Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
"Howard Cosell was Monday Night Football. Without Howard Cosell, there was no Monday Night Football." - Director MNF, Chet Forte Cosell was an iconic combination of pioneering sports journalist, color commentator and broadcast legend. True sports enthusiasts remember Howard Cosell for many different reasons. To some Cosell is remembered for his notable commentary reporting directly from the Olympic Village in Munich during the "Black September" murders in 1972, for others it was covering Muhammad Ali and the world of boxing at large, and still others for Cosell's interviewing John Lennon of the Beatles during a MNF game on December 9th, 1974, and almost exactly six years later, sadly announcing Lennon's death during another MNF game on December 8th, 1980. The exciting manner with which Cosell delivered his weekly "Halftime Highlights" recap of Sunday's games from the day before is still viewed with reverence in the sports broadcasting industry today. Hollywood actors and actresses, governors, and Presidents would seek out Cosell in the ABC broadcast booth just for an interview. Who else but Cosell had interviews with the great NFL players and coaches like Roger Staubach, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Fran Tarkenton, Franco Harris, O.J. Simpson, Don Shula, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and many others.
It was
over thirty years ago that John Lennon of the Beatles rock band was shot
dead in front of his Manhattan apartment on December 8th, 1980. Howard
Cosell announced it at the end of the Monday Night Football game between
the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins scored on the
first possession of overtime to win 16-13. Other people may recall the comment "Look at that little monkey run!" about Washington Redskins kickoff-return specialist Herb Mul-Key. Mul-Key wore the number #28 on his jersey before Darrell Green. |
Mark Ribowsky's new biography,
"Howard Cosell - The Man, the Myth and the Transformation of
American Sports"
"He's a seminal figure not only in sports, but all of television."
--Dick Ebersol, former president of NBC Sports
"If Howard said, `I'm going to get the newspaper,' it sounded like an exciting
event."
-- Producer, director, Woody Allen
"Howard Cosell was Monday Night Football. Without Howard Cosell, there was no
Monday Night Football."
-- Chet Forte, former Director of ABC Monday Night Football
"No one has had a greater impact on sports-casting and television sports
journalism."
-- George Steinbrenner, N.Y. Yankees
"When the complete book on sports-casting in the 20th Century is composed,
Howard Cosell has earned the longest chapter. His influence in sports-casting
has been profound."
-- Sportscaster, Dick Enberg
"If Howard Cosell picked you for a Monday Night Football highlight, you were
big."
-- Matt Millen
"Cosell is the franchise. He may also be the most valuable property in American
sports. There's no question that Howard Cosell was the most important sports
journalist of our time, and because so much of what he did transcended sports,
he was one of the most important journalists... period."
-- Sports Journalist, SportsWorld Magazine, Robert Lipsyte
"I remember him as someone who was an important journalistic figure, and I think
to deny that is to let your prejudices get in the way."
-- Author, Frank Deford
"He became a giant by the simple act of telling the truth in an industry that
was not used to hearing it and considered it revolutionary."
-- Monday Night Football Creator and former President of ABC Sports, Roone
Arledge
Howard was a true original. He rose like a screeching comet and left a trail
that no modern broadcaster has ever dared to follow.
There will never be another like him.
-- NFL Films, Steve Sabol
"He was a fine gentleman."
-- Russ Francis, receiver, former New England Patriots
"I found him to be genuine in his compassion. I'll never forget him for that."
-- Daryl Stingley, former New England Patriots
"Howard Cosell was a colorful guy. The broadcaster's death is a sad day for
sports. I did not, and do not, take exception to anything he said about me in
the broadcast. Matter of fact, I am pleased that he singled me out for such
favorable attention."
-- Washington Redskins wide-receiver, Alvin Garrett
"Howard Cosell was a good man and he lived a good life. I have been interviewed
by many people, but I enjoyed interviews with Howard the best. We always put on
a good show. I hope to meet him one day in the hereafter. I can hear Howard now
saying, Muhammad, you're not the man you used to be. I pray that he is in God's
hands. I will miss him."
-- Former heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali
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Howard Cosell's
Awards
2007 Induction to The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
in New York
Editor of the New York University
"Law Review" ● "The Polo Grounds: Requiem for an Arena" (April 1964), about the demolition of New Yorks historic Coogans Bluff Polo Grounds. Horace McMahon narrates this special review of the history of the Polo Grounds. Bobby Thompson, Ralph Branca, Willie Mays, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson, Ken Strong, Arthur Daly, Frankie Frisch, Leo Durocher, Jack Dempsey and Carl Hubbel review the fabulous past of the Polo Grounds, a great arena where everything but Polo was played. Produced by Howard Cosell. (52 minutes)
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"Every person working in sports journalism
today owes a tremendous debt to Howard Cosell. His greatest contribution
was elevating sports reporting out of daily play-by-play and placing it in
the larger context of society."
|
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