Sports Broadcaster. His baritone voice was one of the best-known in Canada for almost 50 years of sports reporting. Born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, he attended the University of Saskatchewan before starting his career in radio in 1955. At the age of 24 in 1961 he joined CBC Sports and became one of its most versatile television broadcasters. He provided coverage for summer and winter Olympic Games (starting with Innsbruck, Austria in 1964), the Pan-Am Games, the Commonwealth Games, world track and field championships, the National Hockey League, the Canadian Football League including 15 Grey Cup games, junior hockey, golf and curling championships. Famous for his preparation and photographic memory, among numerous career highlights was his live reporting from the athletes' village during the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage tragedy after he and a producer posed as team doctors. He called the most-watched races of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Donovan Bailey's 9.84 seconds record-breaking 100 meter dash and the Canadian men's 4 x 100 meter relay, both gold medal winners. Named Broadcaster of the Year in 2002 by Sports Media Canada, he also received two ACTRA awards and membership in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame, the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and the province of Manitoba's provincial sports hall of fame. On January 8, 2008 he was feted by a who's who of North American sports figures during an induction ceremony into the CBC Sports Hall of Fame. Eleven days later he died of cancer at age 71 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Sports Broadcaster. His baritone voice was one of the best-known in Canada for almost 50 years of sports reporting. Born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, he attended the University of Saskatchewan before starting his career in radio in 1955. At the age of 24 in 1961 he joined CBC Sports and became one of its most versatile television broadcasters. He provided coverage for summer and winter Olympic Games (starting with Innsbruck, Austria in 1964), the Pan-Am Games, the Commonwealth Games, world track and field championships, the National Hockey League, the Canadian Football League including 15 Grey Cup games, junior hockey, golf and curling championships. Famous for his preparation and photographic memory, among numerous career highlights was his live reporting from the athletes' village during the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage tragedy after he and a producer posed as team doctors. He called the most-watched races of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Donovan Bailey's 9.84 seconds record-breaking 100 meter dash and the Canadian men's 4 x 100 meter relay, both gold medal winners. Named Broadcaster of the Year in 2002 by Sports Media Canada, he also received two ACTRA awards and membership in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame, the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and the province of Manitoba's provincial sports hall of fame. On January 8, 2008 he was feted by a who's who of North American sports figures during an induction ceremony into the CBC Sports Hall of Fame. Eleven days later he died of cancer at age 71 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Bio by: Milou
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