Howard Cosell for the Holiday season, a broadcast from his long-running ABC Radio series Speaking Of Sports, from December 15, 1974.
Continuing our tour around Pop Culture during the holiday season with a quick listen to one of Sportscaster Howard Cosell’s weekly broadcasts for ABC Radio. Like Paul Harvey (which we ran yesterday) in his social commentary, Howard Cosell became as much a fixture to Sports Broadcasting commentary as some of the legends who proceeded him, and he was a cornerstone in the medium from 1953 until 1985. He was also the face of ABC-TV’s Monday Night Football from 1970 to 1983.
Howard Cosell had a famously outspoken on-air personality. Cosell said of himself, “I’ve been called arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. And, of course, I am.” Cosell was sardonically nicknamed “Humble Howard” by fans and media critics.
He also brought an antagonistic, almost heel-like commentary, notably criticism of Terry Bradshaw suggesting that he did not have the intelligence to win in the league.
Cosell rose to prominence in the early 1960s, covering boxer Muhammad Ali, beginning from the time he fought under his birth name, Cassius Clay. The two seemed to have an affinity despite their different personalities, and complemented each other in broadcasts. Cosell was one of the first sportscasters to refer to him as Muhammad Ali after he changed his name, and supported him when he refused to be inducted into the military. Cosell was also an outspoken supporter of Olympic sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith, after they raised their fists in a “black power” salute during their 1968 medal ceremony in Mexico City. In a time when many sports broadcasters avoided touching social, racial, or other controversial issues, and kept a certain level of collegiality towards the sports figures they commented on, Cosell did not, and indeed built a reputation around his catchphrase, “I’m just telling it like it is.”
Cosell’s style of reporting transformed sports broadcasting in the United States. Whereas previous sportscasters had mostly been known for color commentary and lively play-by-play, Cosell had an intellectual approach. His use of analysis and context brought television sports reporting closer to “hard” news reporting. However, his distinctive staccato voice, accent, syntax, and cadence were a form of color commentary all their own.
Cosell earned his greatest interest from the public when he backed Ali after his heavyweight title was stripped from him for refusing military service during the Vietnam War. Cosell found vindication several years later when he was able to inform Ali that the United States Supreme Court had unanimously ruled in favor of Ali in Clay v. United States.
Howard Cosell called most of Ali’s fights immediately before and after Ali’s return from his three-year exile in October 1970. Those fights were broadcast on tape delay usually a week after they were transmitted on closed circuit. However, Cosell did not call two of Ali’s biggest fights, the Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974 and the first Ali–Joe Frazier bout in March 1971. Promoter Jerry Perenchio selected actor Burt Lancaster, who had never provided color commentary for a fight, to work the bout with longtime announcer Don Dunphy and former light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore. Cosell attended that fight as a spectator only. He would do a voice-over of that bout, when it was shown on ABC a few days before the second Ali-Frazier bout in January 1974.
As a reminder of what colorful characters in media sounded like over 50 years ago – here is one of the weekly broadcasts Howard Cosell did for ABC Radio on December 15, 1974.
Howard Cosell – Speaking Of Sports – December 15, 1974 – Past Daily Pop Chronicles
Often referred to as “Humble Howard”.
Howard Cosell for the Holiday season, a broadcast from his long-running ABC Radio series Speaking Of Sports, from December 15, 1974.
Continuing our tour around Pop Culture during the holiday season with a quick listen to one of Sportscaster Howard Cosell’s weekly broadcasts for ABC Radio. Like Paul Harvey (which we ran yesterday) in his social commentary, Howard Cosell became as much a fixture to Sports Broadcasting commentary as some of the legends who proceeded him, and he was a cornerstone in the medium from 1953 until 1985. He was also the face of ABC-TV’s Monday Night Football from 1970 to 1983.
Howard Cosell had a famously outspoken on-air personality. Cosell said of himself, “I’ve been called arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. And, of course, I am.” Cosell was sardonically nicknamed “Humble Howard” by fans and media critics.
He also brought an antagonistic, almost heel-like commentary, notably criticism of Terry Bradshaw suggesting that he did not have the intelligence to win in the league.
Cosell rose to prominence in the early 1960s, covering boxer Muhammad Ali, beginning from the time he fought under his birth name, Cassius Clay. The two seemed to have an affinity despite their different personalities, and complemented each other in broadcasts. Cosell was one of the first sportscasters to refer to him as Muhammad Ali after he changed his name, and supported him when he refused to be inducted into the military. Cosell was also an outspoken supporter of Olympic sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith, after they raised their fists in a “black power” salute during their 1968 medal ceremony in Mexico City. In a time when many sports broadcasters avoided touching social, racial, or other controversial issues, and kept a certain level of collegiality towards the sports figures they commented on, Cosell did not, and indeed built a reputation around his catchphrase, “I’m just telling it like it is.”
Cosell’s style of reporting transformed sports broadcasting in the United States. Whereas previous sportscasters had mostly been known for color commentary and lively play-by-play, Cosell had an intellectual approach. His use of analysis and context brought television sports reporting closer to “hard” news reporting. However, his distinctive staccato voice, accent, syntax, and cadence were a form of color commentary all their own.
Cosell earned his greatest interest from the public when he backed Ali after his heavyweight title was stripped from him for refusing military service during the Vietnam War. Cosell found vindication several years later when he was able to inform Ali that the United States Supreme Court had unanimously ruled in favor of Ali in Clay v. United States.
Howard Cosell called most of Ali’s fights immediately before and after Ali’s return from his three-year exile in October 1970. Those fights were broadcast on tape delay usually a week after they were transmitted on closed circuit. However, Cosell did not call two of Ali’s biggest fights, the Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974 and the first Ali–Joe Frazier bout in March 1971. Promoter Jerry Perenchio selected actor Burt Lancaster, who had never provided color commentary for a fight, to work the bout with longtime announcer Don Dunphy and former light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore. Cosell attended that fight as a spectator only. He would do a voice-over of that bout, when it was shown on ABC a few days before the second Ali-Frazier bout in January 1974.
As a reminder of what colorful characters in media sounded like over 50 years ago – here is one of the weekly broadcasts Howard Cosell did for ABC Radio on December 15, 1974.
(Thanks Wikipedia for the bio help).
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