Truly one of the all time great sportscaster/broadcaster/analyst was Curt Gowdy….as he was at the helm of televised sports when sportscasters covered all types of sports….they didn’t specialize like John Madden in football, Dick Vitale in basketball, et al….for he was of the same mold as Jim McKay, Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, et al. Curtis Edward “Curt” Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster….well known as the longtime “voice” of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally televised sporting events….primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
In the fall of 1965….Gowdy moved to NBC….with whom he would be employed for over a decade. Gowdy was the lead play-by-play announcer for the network for both the American Football League and Major League Baseball….but Gowdy also covered a wide range of sports….earning him the nickname of the “broadcaster of everything”. Besides Paul Christman, who followed him to NBC in 1965….his other football broadcast partners were Kyle Rote, Al DeRogatis, Don Meredith, John Brodie, and Merlin Olsen. His broadcast partners for baseball included Pee Wee Reese, Tony Kubek, Sandy Koufax, and Joe Garagiola. He also had many different partners for basketball, including Tommy Hawkins and Billy Packer. Al DeRogatis was also Gowdy’s partner for the college football games. Cut Gowdy set a standard in the industry that has rarely been achieved before or after.
