Category Archives: Sportscaster
Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert (Sportscaster. Born, New York, NY, February 2, 1968.) Becoming the Rangers’ regular radio play-by-play announcer in 1995, Kenny Albert succeeded his fabled father in that role. However, he had already accumulated a considerable professional resume. In 1994, at age 26, he worked telecasts of major league baseball, the N.F.L., the N.B.A., and N.H.L. Albert began as an intermission host on Islanders radio in 1988 and subsequently moved to Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., before becoming an N.F.L. play-by-play telecaster for FOX Sports in 1994.
Marv Albert
Marv Albert (Sportscaster. Born, Brooklyn, NY, June 12, 1943.) Easily the most familiar voice to generations of New York sports fans, Marv Albert became a part of the New York sports scene as the radio announcer for both the Knickerbockers and the Rangers in the 1960s and 1970s. Albert became the radio play-by-play man for the Rangers in 1965 and took over the Knicks radio duties in the 1967-68 season, just in time for the club’s championship run. Particularly in basketball, Albert’s unique “ye-s-s-s” call on a big Knicks basket developed into a catch phrase among sports fans. Albert handled the Knicks on radio for 19 seasons before moving to the MSG Network’s cablecasts of the Knicks in 1986-87. In 2005 he moved to the Nets as the prime television voice. During Albert’s years as the team’s radio voice, the Knicks captured their first N.B.A. championships (1970 and 1973). Highlighting his years of play-by-play with the Rangers were two Stanley Cup final teams (1972 and 1979) and the 1994 champions. Albert also served as sports director of WNBC-TV (Channel 4) and later covered the N.B.A. for NBC Sports and the TNT network, and anchored MSG Network’s nightly desk report. Marv enrolled at Syracuse University in 1959. He subsequently transferred to N.Y.U. and was graduated in 1963. A creative broadcaster, Albert’s creation of the “Albert Achievement Awards” served as inspiration for many zany segments on “Late Night with David Letterman.” His warm personality and professionalism have made him one of the country’s most popular announcers. His son, Kenny, developed into one of the most versatile broadcasters in sports, handling football and horseracing for FOX Sports, as well as being the radio voice of the Rangers.
Mel Allen
Mel Allen (Sportscaster. Born, Birmingham, AL, Feb. 14, 1913; died, Greenwich, CT, June 16, 1996.) Mel Allen (born Melvin Allen Israel) became known throughout the sports world as “the voice of the Yankees,” thanks to 25 years of broadcasting the team’s games on radio and television. Initially, Allen came to New York as a staff announcer for the CBS Radio Network. He gained some network experience when he worked the 1938 World Series between the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. Then, in 1939, he joined Arch McDonald as a regular announcer on Yankees broadcasts. Allen worked both New York Giants and Yankees games, initially doing home games only on radio. After military service in World War II, Allen returned in 1946 to discover that the Yankees intended to air both home and road games. He rejoined the Yankees and followed the team around the American League. He added television to his duties when in 1948 WPIX-TV started to televise Yankees games. Until his departure after the 1964 season, Allen’s cheery “Hello there, everybody” was a part of the Yankees tradition. Allen also did other major sporting events, including Columbia football in the 1930s and 1940s and college bowl games.
Billy Berroa
Billy Berroa (Sportscaster. Born, San Pedro de Macoris, D.R., Feb. 27, 1928; died, Santo Domingo, D.R., Oct. 17, 2007.) A veteran of more than 45 years of broadcasting winter league baseball in the Dominican Republic, Profirio Antonio Berroa did two tours as a Spanish-language announcer of Mets games. Berroa, who worked with Juan Alicea, called the Mets for seven seasons (1987-93) and returned in 1998 for another 10 seasons. He also did Yankees games in 1996. Berroa started broadcasting major league baseball in 1963 and became the Spanish voice of All-Star and post-season games in 1987. He was elected to the Hall of Fame of his native land and was awarded to prestigious Juan Pablo Duarte Order en el Grado de Caballero by the Dominican government. Berroa did a baseball column for Listin Diario of Santo Domingo, the nation’s leading newspaper as well as the largest-selling Dominican newspaper in the U.S. He was, at different times, on the broadcasting team for CBS Spanish Radio, MSG Network, HBO and Gala Vision TV, as well as WADO in New York.
Phillips Carlin
Phillips Carlin (Sportscasting. Born, New York, NY, June 30, 1894; died, New York, NY, Aug. 27, 1971.) A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of N.Y.U., Phillips Carlin became one of the significant figures in the embryonic days of radio sports broadcasting. After U.S. Navy service during World War I, Carlin mustered out in June 1919, and moved through several jobs before landing at NBC’s WEAF in New York in 1923. Swiftly, he became Graham McNamee’s partner in the radio booth, working the U.S. national tennis championships in 1924. Between them, McNamee and Carlin covered all major events on radio, including the World Series (1926-28). Starting in 1925, Carlin worked several major college football games annually (Army-Notre Dame, Yale-Princeton, Army-Navy, Princeton-Ohio State in 1927, etc.) By 1926, he was NBC’s assistant Eastern Sports director, taking the top job in 1934, then moving to NBC’s Blue Network (now ABC) in 1942. In Nov. 1944, Carlin went to the Mutual Broadcasting System, originating the baseball “Game of the Day” on that network. In 1949, he moved into television, where he remained until retiring in 1964, having spent the last 35 years of his career as an executive.
Gary Cohen
Gary Cohen (Sportscaster. Born, Flushing, NY, Apr. 29, 1958.) In just three years, Gary Hugh Cohen advanced from broadcasting play-by-play for the Durham Bulls to partnering with Bob Murphy at Shea Stadium. Following Murphy’s retirement at the end of the 2003 season, he became the Mets’ lead announcer on radio. In 2006, Cohen became the first television voice of the Mets on their own regional cable network, SportsNet New York. Cohen began his remarkable rise in 1986 and became part of the Mets radio team in 1989. He joined the Mets after two seasons (1987-88) with the Boston Red Sox Triple-A club at Pawtucket, R.I. Along the way, Cohen has been the lead announcer for many hockey events, including the Olympics in 1992, 1994, and 1998 for CBS Radio. Since 1995, he has also done St. John’s basketball. Cohen’s other basketball assignments have included N.C.A.A. tournament games, beginning in 1992. He has done network radio of major league baseball since 1991 for CBS and ESPN. Previously, Cohen had done Rangers hockey (1995-97) and Providence College hockey and basketball (1987-89).
Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell (Sportscaster. Born, Winston-Salem, NC, Mar. 25, 1918; died, New York, NY, Apr. 23, 1995.) A truly flamboyant character, Howard Cosell, born Howard William Cohen, forsook his legal training in favor of a career behind the microphone and, more importantly, in front of a camera. Cosell, an N.Y.U. and N.Y.U. Law graduate, began his broadcasting career with ABC in 1953 as moderator of a Little League baseball radio program. But his true legacy was created as a key player in the concept of Roone Arledge for Monday Night Football. Arledge wanted the prime time show to become an event that transcended N.F.L. game telecasts. Cosell, who had built a sizeable record of controversy on boxing telecasts (notably those featuring Muhammad Ali), was the perfect man for the task. For 14 seasons (1970-83), Cosell held forth with wide-ranging opinions, often sarcastic critiques, and an open animosity for the sportswriting profession that made the show “must-see” viewing regardless of the teams playing.
Bob Costas
Bob Costas (Sportscaster. Born, Astoria, NY, Mar. 22, 1952.) Stylish and professional, Robert Costas became the primary sports voice for NBC-TV in the 1980s. Although he excelled at N.F.L. and N.B.A. work, Costas made little secret that his first love is baseball. When NBC gave up baseball, he began to explore other avenues, including a well-respected HBO talk show entitled “Later.”
Mike Crispino
Mike Crispino (Sportscaster. Born, Hartford, CT, July 10, 1952.) An all-purpose reporter and anchor, Michael Crispino has been with the MSG Network since 1992 and has done play-by-play for Knicks, Rangers, and Liberty games.
Bill Daughtry
Bill Daughtry (Sportscaster. Born, New York, NY, Aug. 23, 1953.) A warm and engaging on-air personality, Bill Daughtry has been a broadcaster since 1974, when he became a weekend news reporter at WPTR in Albany, N.Y. Daughtry moved from there to the National Black Network in New York (1976-77), WFAS in Westchester (1977), and WGCH in Greenwich, Conn. (1979-86). In between, he became sports director at WMCA (1981-85) and then sports anchor at WCBS (1987-92). After four years at WFAN (1993-97), Daughtry became a “SportsDesk” anchor at MSG Network. In Nov. 2006, he moved to ESPN, where he became a radio SportsCenter anchor and show host.
