Sometimes when I hear of a celebrity’s passing—even one who was of an age where few question that they lived “a full life”—I still find myself giving a little gasp of sadness. Such was the case this past weekend when I learned that ABC Wide World of Sports veteran Jim McKay had died at age 86.
Of course long before there was Terry Gannon, or Verne Lundquist, or even John Tesh to serve as the equivalent of skating’s play-by-play personality, there was Jim McKay. He was more than just the (literal) voice for the opening montage of Wide World of Sports… he may have been Dick Button’s longest-running “sidekick”, dating all the way back to ’62 Worlds. He was a most interested third party in figure skating, the first of many commentators to come to the sport by way of others and leave behind the feeling he was as big a fan of the figure skating as anyone. He was a fixture during countless Winter Olympics, making such an impact as the voice behind Roone Arledge’s “Up Close and Personal” profiles that he was loaned out to NBC’s Olympic coverage as recently as 2002. And while I’m too young to remember his stunning work during the Munich hostage crisis of the ’72 Summer Olympics, suffice to say I’ve heard the tapes… and it’s no surprise to me that he received a telegram of praise from no less than Walter Cronkite.
No doubt about it, one of the great voices has fallen silent. He will be missed.
For the Clip of the Day, I found this lengthy piece that essentially has McKay introducing the key players in the ladies’ final of the 1988 Nationals… and serves as a nice fix for those of us who adored his narrative skills. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK9gClMbi20
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