Jim McKay

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James Kenneth McManus, better known by his professional name of Jim McKay (b. September 24, 1921, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American television sports journalist.

McKay is best known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–1998)—his "...thrill of victory, agony of defeat" introduction for that program has passed into American pop culture—and television coverage of twelve Olympic Games.

McKay has also 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.

Contents 1 Honors 2 Munich 3 1994-present 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Honors

McKay has won numerous awards for journalism, including two Emmys and the George Polk Award just for his sports and news coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics. In 1988, McKay was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

[edit] Munich

While covering the Munich Massacre in 1972, McKay had taken on the job of reporting the events as Roone Arledge fed them into his earpiece. After the botched rescue attempt, he came on the air with this statement:

"Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized. Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They've now said that there were eleven hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone."^[1][2][3]

[edit] 1994-present

In 1994, he was the studio host for the FIFA World Cup coverage, the first ever held on American soil.

In 2002, ABC "loaned" McKay to NBC to serve as a special correspondent during the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Jim McKay covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup for ABC.

Jim McKay's son, Sean McManus, a protege of the late Roone Arledge,([1]) is president of competitor CBS' Sports and News divisions.

[edit] See also

• Roone Arledge

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jim McKay at the Internet Movie Database

• American Sportscasters

Preceded by Chris Schenkel	Television voice of the Indianapolis 500 1967-1974	Succeeded by Keith Jackson
Preceded by Keith Jackson	Television voice of the Indianapolis 500 1976-1985	Succeeded by Jim Lampley