Jim McKay
Athlete Bio#
Age
Died (Aged 86)
1921-2008
Hometown
Baltimore, MD
Education
Loyola High School (Townson, Md.) Loyola College
Personal
Moved to Baltimore when he was 13...Entered the Navy as an officer during World War II and captained a minesweeper escorting convoys from Trinidad to Brazil...Worked as a police reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun before being shifted to the newspaper’s television station as a broadcaster, writer and producer...Worked briefly as a weatherman, public affairs moderator and game show host...Was the first American network sports commentator to visit mainland China...Wrote two books, “My Wide World” in 1973 and “The Real McKay” in 1998...Father to two children, Sean and Mary.Hall Of Fame Bio #
Jim McKay was a world-renowned sports broadcaster, winning 13 Emmy Awards and recipient of the George Polk Memorial Award for Journalism. Born in Philadelphia, McKay’s broadcasting career spanned multiple sports, including horse racing, golf and racing. He served as host of ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” for 37 years, educating a generation of Americans about the limitless scope of the sporting world each weekend. But it was during the Olympic Games Munich 1972 that McKay’s broadcasting capabilities were put to the ultimate test. For 16 consecutive hours, he anchored ABC’s coverage of the tragic killing of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes, coaches and trainers. His work during the Munich Games won him an Emmy Award, the first for a sportscaster, and the George Polk Memorial Award for Journalism. McKay would go on to win 12 more Emmys throughout his career. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 86.
