Versatility requires being able to adapt to multiple functions/activities. Versatility certainly applies to sports broadcasting. In Part 2 of a two-part series, here are five men who have stood out over the years.
Chris Schenkel: Known for his distinctive baritone voice, Schenkel provided play-by-play commentary for numerous sports on television and radio. In 1952, he was hired by the DuMont Television Network to broadcast New York Giants football games. He called the 1958 NFL Championship Game, where the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants. In the 1950s, he also joined CBS Sports. Schenkel was the first to cover The Masters on television in 1956. During his tenure at CBS, he called boxing and the Triple Crown of Horse Racing. ABC hired him in the 1960s, where he broadcast NCAA Football, NBA Basketball, Auto Racing, and the Summer and Winter Olympics. Schenkel became known for covering PBA Bowling on the Professional Bowlers Tour for four decades, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Schenkel witnessed six 300 games when he was in the television booth. In 1996, he appeared as himself in the movie Kingpin.
Pat Summerall (photo courtesy, Florida Memory)
Pat Summerall: Many sports fans remember Summerall as a broadcaster, but his career started as a football player. Summerall played 10 seasons in the NFL, most notably with the New York Giants. He joined CBS as a color commentator in the 1960s. He was promoted to play-by-play announcer in 1974. He paired up with Tom Brookshier and John Madden to provide the color commentary. Summerall called eight Super Bowls during his tenure at CBS. In addition to being a great play-by-play broadcaster for NFL Football, Summerall also covered the PGA Tour, including 26 Masters. He also covered the U.S. Open Tennis championship, calling 21 tournaments with Tony Trabert. He joined Fox in 1994. He would call three more Super Bowls. His final play-by-play came in 2002 when the New England Patriots captured their first Super Bowl. Overall, Summerall called 11 Super Bowls on television in the play-by-play role, a record eventually matched by Al Michaels in 2022.
Bob Costas: A college dropout, Costas began his broadcasting career at CBS in the late 70s, calling play-by-play for NFL games. In 1980, Costas was hired by NBC. For the next 40 years, Costas did the play-by-play for the NBA and the MLB. He also hosted coverage of the NFL and the U.S. Open Golf. Costas was also responsible for hosting 12 Summer and Winter Olympic Broadcasts for NBC (1988 to 2016). Costas also hosted a late-night talk show, Later with Bob Costas, for six years. He also worked with other cable networks, including MLB Network, the NFL Network, TNT, and TBS. He also became a contributor to CNN in 2020, providing commentary on a range of topics, including politics and sports.
His most memorable calls were mostly when he was employed by NBC. In 1984, he called the Ryne Sandberg game, in which Sandberg hit two separate home runs in the 9th and 10th innings. In 1995, he called Game 6 of the World Series, where the Atlanta Braves captured their first World Series title since moving to Atlanta in 1966. He also called the 1998 NBA Finals, when Michael Jordan won his sixth title with the Chicago Bulls, his last time wearing a Bulls Jersey.
Kenny Albert: The son of sportscaster Marv Albert and the nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert, Kenny Albert is the only broadcaster who currently does play-by-play for all four major professional sports leagues in both the United States and Canada. He started his broadcasting career in Maryland and the Washington D.C. area, calling games for the Baltimore Skipjacks and the Washington Capitals. He joined FOX in 1994 and served as the play-by-play broadcaster for the NFL and MLB. For 30 years, he has been the play-by-play broadcaster for New York Rangers games. Since 2009, Albert has also been the fill-in play-by-play broadcaster for New York Knicks games. Besides FOX, Albert has worked on other television stations, including TNT, NBC, and the MSG Network. In 2024, Albert became the first play-by-play broadcaster to call 500 regular-season or postseason games for the same network.
Terry Gannon (photo courtesy TV Insider)
Terry Gannon: Prior to his broadcasting career, Gannon played basketball for the Wolfpack of North Carolina State, a member of the 1983 national championship team. He graduated from NC State in 1985. He briefly played basketball in Europe but left the sport to pursue a career in broadcasting after his college coach, the late Jim Valvano, advised him to do so. Gannon started working on ABC in 1991. He was the play-by-play broadcaster for college basketball, college football, golf, figure skating, and the NBA and the WNBA. Gannon also covered some other sports, including beach volleyball, mountain biking, and supercross motorcycle racing. He was also the announcer for major sporting events on ABC, including the FIFA Men’s World Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Indy 500, the Special Olympics, and the Goodwill Games. In the 2010s, Gannon joined NBC Sports, where he remained one of the most versatile voices fans could depend on. He served as the play-by-play broadcaster for the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour. Gannon became widely associated with many Olympic sports, including figure skating. He has teamed up with two of the greatest figure skaters to provide commentary: Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. Gannon knows every sport and every game in the book.
