List of Thoroughbred Racing on CBS commentators

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Race callers[]

  • Chic Anderson (1968-1978) - Starting in 1969, Anderson's Derby calls would not only be heard by Churchill patrons but also on the CBS Television Network, where he assumed Jack Drees' role on the network's coverage of all three Triple Crown races, as well as other thoroughbred events. Anderson would eventually gain a level of fame as a national race caller exceeded only by that of Clem McCarthy and Ted Husing. Because of his TV experience and knowledge of horses, CBS adopted him as a full-fledged member of their sportscasting team for big races, providing jockey interviews and insights as well as the race calls.
  • Marshall Cassidy (1979-1985) - Cassidy was the most prominent announcer in racing in the early to mid-1980s, not only for his on-track work but also as a sportscaster calling races for WCBS radio, CBS television, ABC television, NBC television and ESPN television. He was best known for his accuracy, precise diction and upbeat delivery, especially early in his career when calling a close race as the horses ran down the stretch.
  • Fred Capossela (1954-1960) - From 1950 to 1960, Capossela was the "Voice of the Triple Crown" on CBS Radio and Television.[1]
  • Jack Drees (1963-1968) - In 1960, he was hired by CBS to call St. Louis Cardinals football games. In 1967/68 he called Super Bowl I and II for the CBS Radio Network. In addition to NFL games, Drees also called college football, golf, and horse races for CBS.
  • Bryan Field (1948-1966) - He is credited as the one of the first people to apply the term "Triple Crown" to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.[2][3][4] Field announced races for CBS television, CBS radio, and Mutual Broadcasting System.[5][6] As a broadcaster he was noted for his "Irish-British-New York accent".[7] He also went by the name Thomas Bryan George during his early radio career.[8]

Hosts[]

  • Mel Allen (1953-1954; 1956) - Shortly after graduating, Allen took a train to New York City for a week's vacation. While on that week's vacation, he auditioned for a staff announcer's position at the CBS Radio Network. CBS executives already knew of Allen; the network's top sportscaster, Ted Husing, had heard many of his Crimson Tide broadcasts. He was hired at $45 a week.[9] He often did non-sports announcing such as for big band remotes, or "emceeing" game shows such as Truth or Consequences, serving as an understudy for both sportscaster Husing and newscaster Bob Trout.[10] In his first year at CBS, he announced the crash of the Hindenburg when the station cut away from singer Kate Smith's show. He first became a national celebrity when he ad libbed for a half-hour during the rain-delayed Vanderbilt Cup from an airplane.[11] In 1939, he was the announcer for the Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film musical short-subject, On the Air, with Leith Stevens and the Saturday Night Swing Club.[12][13] Stephen Borelli, in his biography How About That?! (a favorite expression of Allen's after an outstanding play by the home team), states that it was at CBS's suggestion in 1937, the year Melvin Israel joined the network, that he go by a different last name on the air. He chose Allen, his father's middle name as well as his own, and legally changed his name to Melvin Allen in 1943.
  • Win Elliot (1955) - Elliot broadcast horse racing events in the 1960s and conducted one of the early call-in sports radio talk shows on WCBS-AM in New York.
  • Jim Kelly (1982-1984) - Substitute host for Brent Musburger.[14]
  • Brent Musburger (1982-1985) - By 1975, at CBS, Musburger went from doing the NFL play-by-play (and other items, mostly on CBS' Sports Saturday/Sunday programs) to rise to prominence as the host of the network's National Football League studio show, The NFL Today. Suddenly, Musburger began to cover many assignments for CBS Sports. Among the other events he covered, either as studio host or play-by-play announcer, were college football and basketball, the National Basketball Association, horse racing, the U.S. Open (tennis) tournament, and The Masters golf tournament. He would even lend his talents to weekend afternoon fare such as The World's Strongest Man contests and the like. Musburger also called Major League Baseball games for CBS Radio.
  • Bud Palmer (1960)
  • Sam Renick (1952; 1954)
  • Chris Schenkel (1958-1964) - In 1956, he moved to CBS Sports, where he continued to call Giants games, along with boxing, Triple Crown horse racing and The Masters golf tournament, among other events.
  • Jack Whitaker (1965-1982) - He entered network sports in 1961 at CBS, where he hosted the anthology series CBS Sports Spectacular among other duties. He worked for CBS for more than two decades. Whitaker is probably best remembered for his coverage of golf and horse racing. He covered thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown Events, golf's four major championships, the very first Super Bowl, championship boxing, the National Professional Soccer League in 1967,[15] the North American Soccer League a year later, and Major League Baseball. He was a studio host for The NFL Today at CBS, the network's pre-game show. The Whitaker character, played by Gary McKillips, appears in the June 2007 ESPN Original Entertainment production Ruffian. The film is based upon the storied 1975 match race between unbeaten filly Ruffian and Kentucky Derby-winning colt Foolish Pleasure. Ruffian broke her leg during the race and was later euthanized. The Whitaker character is shown introducing the race in the paddock area of Belmont Park in New York.

Analysts[]

  • Don Ameche (1962 Kentucky Derby)
  • Eddie Arcaro (1963-1970) - After working as a television commentator on racing for CBS and ABC, he was a public relations officer for the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas before retiring to Miami, Florida.
  • Heywood Hale Broun (1969-1976) - Nicknamed "Woodie", Broun joined CBS in 1966, where he worked for two decades as a color commentator on a wide variety of sporting events, including the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.
  • Jimmy Snyder (1977-1985)
  • Frank I. Wright (1971-1985) - Wright got his start in broadcasting announcing races locally in New York and Maryland. After Canonero II won the 1971 Kentucky Derby, Wright was hired by CBS as an analyst for its horse racing coverage. The network felt that his ability to speak Spanish would allow him to speak with the horse's owner, trainer and jockey.

Reporters[]

References[]

  1. ^ "History of The Game: Fred Capossela". The New York Racing Association. March 8, 2014. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  2. ^ (2003). American Classic Pedigrees. Eclipse Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-58150-095-0.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Elizabeth (2003). Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing. Hyperion. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-7868-8622-7.
  4. ^ Capps, Timothy T. (2003). Secretariat. Eclipse Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-58150-091-2.
  5. ^ "Bryan Field Becomes Daddy While Telling Radio Fans of Race". Schenectady Gazette. September 7, 1931. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Programing Notes". The Telegraph-Herald. August 17, 1942. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Services for Bryan Field Set for Today". Chicago Tribune. December 17, 1968.
  8. ^ "Radio and Theater News". The Portsmouth Times. October 20, 1932. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Society for American Baseball Research bio of Mel Allen". Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  10. ^ Gerald Nachman (October 17, 2012). Raised on Radio. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 439–. ISBN 978-0-307-82894-1.
  11. ^ Smith, Curt (2005). Voices of Summer. New York City: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1446-8.
  12. ^ Robert Dupuis (2005). Bunny Berigan: Elusive Legend of Jazz. LSU Press. pp. 129–. ISBN 978-0-8071-3068-1.
  13. ^ "On The Air (1939)". Turner Classic Movies.
  14. ^ Craig, Jack (October 19, 1983). "Network-minded Kelly fired as Ch. 7 anchor". The Boston Globe.
  15. ^ Maule, Tex. "Kickoff For A Babel Of Booters," Sports Illustrated, April 24, 1967. Archived July 21, 2012, at archive.today
  16. ^ Perlmutter, Marty (1975-12-05). "Phyllis George Finds Her Career". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  17. ^ "Gardner Set For High-Visibility Role". Toledo Blade. Dallas Morning News. 1987-12-26. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  18. ^ "Miss America takes back seat to horses". Beaver County Times. United Press International. 1975-06-07. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  19. ^ a b c "Jim Kelly". GolfPodium.com. Infinity Sports Marketing, Inc. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  20. ^ Profile of Pia Lindström #1
  21. ^ Profile of Pia Lindström #2,
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