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Jim McKay, 1921-2008
Legendary sportscaster Jim McKay passed away Friday night at his home in Monkton. McKay won two Emmy awards and anchored 12 Olympic Games. He also hosted ABC's Wide World of Sports and was the voice behind the iconic words, "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."McKay was a true professional. He had a gift for telling the story of sport beyond who won and who lost. McKay's broadcasts were the epitome of a fine craftsman plying his trade. He was a true wordsmith. My favorite McKay moment was when he lobbed a golf ball over the Great Wall of China.
McKay has deep roots in Baltimore. He graduated from Loyola Blakefield high school and matriculated at Loyola College. McKay was a Baltimore Sun reporter before moving to Baltimore's first television station WMAR, which was then owned by the Sun. McKay was the first voice ever heard on the station. After a brief stint at CBS and hosting six epsiodes of the NBC game show Make the Connection, McKay moved to ABC where he began his long tenure on Wide World of Sports.
McKay's background as a Sun reporter served him well during the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games. Reporting the tragic conclusion of the Palestinian terrorist kidnapping of the Israeli Olympic team McKay said:
When I was a kid my father used to say our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized. Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said there were eleven hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone.
McKay was an avid horse lover and dedicated to the Maryland horse industry. Impressed by the success of the Breeders Cup, he founded the Maryland Million, a nationally reknown race event second only to the Preakness here in Maryland. In addition to his horse racing ties to Maryland, McKay was part owner of the Baltimore Orioles.
Thanks for the great stories Jim!
Topics: Jim McKay , Wide World of Sports , Maryland Horse Ra
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