Gowdy, Curt

▪ 2007

      American sportscaster (b. July 31, 1919, Green River, Wyo.—d. Feb. 20, 2006, Palm Beach, Fla.), was the plainspoken voice behind the microphone for broadcasts of some of the most monumental sporting events, including some 24 National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championships, 14 Rose Bowls, 13 World Series, 9 Super Bowls, and 8 Olympic Games. He began his career in his native Wyoming in 1944, moved on to Oklahoma, and then became part of the New York Yankee radio broadcast team (1949–50) before spending 15 years announcing for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Gowdy was best known for his television work for NBC, which he joined in 1966, but he was also remembered as the host (1966–86) of ABC's The American Sportsman. He won 13 Emmy Awards and the George Foster Peabody Award (1970).

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