Jim McKay

Not too many people from our generation may know Jim McKay. He was a legend in the world of Sports broadcasting and most known for hosting the Olympics and Wide World of Sports for ABC. McKay, 86, passed away this morning, from natural causes.

For 60 years, McKay WAS the face of ABC Sports. He hosted Wide World of Sports for since it's inception in 1961, until it was discontinued in 1997. The series took him around the globe. He was the first sports network reporter to visit mainland China. He even interviewed Fidel Castro, in Cuba, in 1991. The opening of Wide World contained the great line of "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."

McKay hosted 12 Olympics for ABC, and was "loaned" to NBC for their Winter Olympic coverage in 2002. Perhaps his defining moment came at the XX Summer Olympic games, in Munich, Germany, in 1972. Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage in the Olympic village. After a long standoff, and a dramatic shootout at an air base, the hostages were all shot dead. After 16 straight hours on the air, and getting confirmation from the German government, McKay said, perhaps, the words that defined his career:

"When I was a kid my father used to say our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized. Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said there were eleven hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone."

He covered many other events during his career besides the Olympics and the numerous sports Wide World took him to. He covered the Indianapolis 500, golf events such as the British Open (which he loved), and horse racing's Kentucky Derby, another event in which he enjoyed.

McKay WAS the face of ABC Sports for more than 40 years. He was a master writer and story teller, that helped paint the picture to many historical moments.

This morning on ESPN's SportsCenter, McKay colleagues, Brent Musberger, Keith Jackson, and Don Ohlmeyer has remembered him. I think Musberger said it best though when he said (paraphrasing), "I just wish he could have seen one more Triple Crown winner (horse racing) today. He would have really gotten a kick out of that."

Jim McKay, a titan of Sports Broadcasting, and Broadcasting in general, gone at the age of 86...