Keith Jackson
Encyclopedia
Keith Jackson is an American
sportscaster
, known for his long career with ABC Sports (1966–2006), his coverage of college football
(1952–2006), his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R. Murrow
reporting on World War II
, the voice of ultimate authority in college football."
, near the Georgia-Alabama state line. The only surviving child in a poor family, he grew up listening to sports on the radio. After enlisting and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps
, he attended Washington State University
under the G.I. Bill. Jackson began as a political science
major, but he became interested in broadcasting. He graduated in 1954 with a degree in Speech Communications.
, auto racing
, the USFL, and the Olympic Games
. He briefly worked college basketball
with Dick Vitale
. Jackson also served as the pregame/halftime/postgame anchor for ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII
in 1988. During his onair tenure he is credited with nicknaming the Rose Bowl
as "The Grandaddy of them All" and Michigan Stadium
as "The Big House".
in 1952, when he called a radio game between Stanford and Washington State. He then worked for KOMO radio
in Seattle
, and later for KOMO-TV
from 1954 to 1964 as co-anchor for their first news team (first co-anchor news team on the West Coast), covering Seafair hydroplane races, minor league Seattle Rainiers baseball games, and University of Washington
Huskies
football games. In 1958, Jackson became the first American sports announcer to broadcast an event from the Soviet Union
, a crew
race between the Washington Huskies and a Soviet team. Despite heavy suspicion and numerous hurdles by the Soviet authorities, Jackson and his cohorts were able to cover the race: the first ever American sports victory on Russian soil. He became a radio news correspondent for ABC News Radio and sports director of ABC Radio West in 1964 before joining ABC Sports in 1966.
Jackson helped Walter Cronkite
cover the 1964 Republican National Convention
in San Francisco, California
.
games. In 1970
, he was chosen to be the first play-by-play announcer on Monday Night Football
covering the NFL
, but he remained in that capacity only for the program's first season. Frank Gifford
was ABC's initial target but could not get out of his CBS
contract until after the 1970 season. In 1971
, however, Gifford landed the job. He found out that he had been taken off the Monday Night package from 38 messages, not from Roone Arledge
himself. This led to some contention between him and the brass at ABC.
Jackson was the lead play-by-play announcer for the United States Football League
broadcasts on ABC
from 1983
to 1985
. He was paired with Lynn Swann
and Tim Brant
. He called all three championship games in the league's short history.
of the 1972 Summer Olympics
and continued to contribute even when an attack by Palestinian terrorists
transformed the coverage from that of a typical sporting event was a greater international and historical news event. In all, he covered a total of 10 Summer and Winter Olympic Games. He covered speed-skating
during the 1980 Winter Olympics
featuring Eric Heiden
. Interestingly enough, he was offered the position of play-by-play for hockey
, but turned it down (the position ultimately went to Al Michaels
). He covered basketball
in 1984
.
for four years.
(WWOS), covering both popular sports and obscure events like wrist wrestling. For WWOS he covered Evel Knievel
's successful jump at Exhibition Stadium
, in Toronto, Canada, on August 20, 1974; He also handled WWOS first coverage of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard
at the North American Continental Boxing Championships on July 26, 1975, who Jackson called a young boxer to watch. He teamed with Jackie Stewart
and Chris Economaki
in (WWOS) coverage of auto racing; among the notable events covered by Jackson was the 1974 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway
.
) the now famous 16-inning long sixth game of the 1986 National League Championship Series
between the New York Mets
and Houston Astros
. That turned out to be the final Major League Baseball game that Jackson broadcast. Jackson had previously broadcast ABC's coverage of the 1977
, 1979
and 1981 World Series
(Jackson split play-by-play duties with Al Michaels
for the latter two with Jackson calling the games at the American League
site), the 1978
, 1980
and 1982 All-Star Game
(again, sharing play-by-play duties with Al Michaels for the latter two), the 1980 National League Championship Series
, the 1976
, 1978
and 1982 American League Championship Series
, the 1981 American League Division Series
between the New York Yankees
and Milwaukee Brewers
, and the 1978 American League East tie-breaker game
between the New York Yankees
and Boston Red Sox
alongside Don Drysdale
.
Jackson was unavailable to call Game 1 of the 1976 American League Championship Series because he had just finished calling an Oklahoma
-Texas college football
game for ABC. Thus, Bob Uecker
filled-in for Jackson for Game 1. In , Jackson called an Oklahoma
-Texas college football
game for ABC
on October 7, and then flew to New York, arriving just in time to call Game 4 of the ALCS
that same night. On October 11, 1980, Jackson called an Oklahoma
-Texas college football
game for ABC in the afternoon, then flew to Houston
to call Game 4 of the NLCS
. In the meantime, Don Drysdale filled-in for Jackson on play-by-play for the early innings.
play-by-play announcer with legendary analyst Dick Vitale
. This partnership lasted until 1992.
. He genuinely enjoyed the sport and the purity of it. Jackson began his ABC career at a time when television play-by-play announcers did not always have regular analysts. He would only once miss working a college season in his over 50 years (when he served as play-by-play announcer during the inaugural season of Monday Night Football), beginning in 1952. Jackson was joined in the booth by Joe Paterno
for the 1974 Michigan-Ohio State game in Columbus
, while Woody Hayes
accompanied him for the 1974 Notre Dame-USC game.
In his many years covering college football, Jackson has been paired with a wide variety of color commentators, including Jack Jensen (1966–1967), Lee Grosscup
(1972), Bud Wilkinson
(1969–1975) Ara Parseghian
(1975–1979), Frank Broyles
(1978–1985), Lynn Swann
(1984–1985), Tim Brant
(1986, 2001–2002), Bob Griese
(1987–1999), and Dan Fouts
(2002–2005).
For many years, he was assigned by ABC to the primary national game of the week. His quirky expressions such as "Whoa, Nellie!", "Fum-BLE!" and "Hold the phonnnnne!" (following a penalty flag) are often the subject of comedic imitation. Though he greatly popularized it, Jackson notes that he learned the term "Whoa, Nellie" from earlier television announcer Dick Lane
. He has often referred to offensive and defensive line players as the Big Uglies, or to an individual by saying "That guy...is a hus" (horse). Jackson is also credited with coining the nickname for Michigan Stadium
, The Big House. In the season before his first retirement, during what was thought to be his final game at The Big House, the Michigan Marching Band
's halftime show concluded by spelling out "Thanks Keith" across the field, the 111,019 fans turned toward the press box
, stood up and cheered for the commentator, and as a part of the halftime event former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler
presented Jackson with a jersey with "The Big House" across the front and a Michigan football helmet.
During the mid-'80s, he began falling out of favor with ABC executives due to the rise of stars such as Al Michaels
and Jim Lampley
. Jackson's contract expired after the 1986 Sugar Bowl
. He had a 3 month "retirement" until new ABC Sports President Dennis Swanson personally offered him a 3 year contract, which he accepted.
In the 1990s, Jackson recorded videos for the centennial of the Alabama Crimson Tide
. In 2006, Jackson introduced the Nebraska Cornhuskers
' "Tunnel Walk" video on the stadium "HuskerVision" screens. This video played before every home game at Memorial Stadium in the 2006 season. It was also used for one home game in 2007, against Texas A&M. On September 26, 2009, for the 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium, Jackson again provided a video tribute to the fans of Nebraska.
Jackson's connections to the University of Nebraska remain strong. It was Jackson himself that the university contacted when designing its new pressbox facility—Jackson's advice included a recommendation that it include a separate restroom inside the broadcast booth, as few if any broadcast booths had any suitable restroom facilities. When Jackson broadcast the Nebraska/California game the following season (the debut of the Cornhuskers' new pressbox), he found a restroom in the booth with a sign reading "The Keith Jackson Memorial Bippy." The sign was a joke from Jackson's longtime friend, Nebraska sports information director Don Bryant. The name stuck, and a permanent plaque was put up next to the restroom door that reads "The Keith Jackson Toilet Facility - Dedicated Sept 11, 1999".
On November 3, 2007 during the half time of the Arkansas vs South Carolina game, Jackson was present in the press box at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
as the Master of Ceremonies for the retirement of and field dedication to long time ABC color commentator and partner Frank Broyles
.
Jackson would call the 1972 Southern Cal Trojans the greatest team he ever saw. Jackson, who was in his first year in ABC football broadcasting narrating the taped highlights of the 1967 Southern Cal vs. UCLA football game, declared it many years later to be the greatest game he has ever seen.
Jackson's career was not free of incidents. During the 1978 Gator Bowl
, Jackson missed Ohio State
Head Coach Woody Hayes' infamous punch of Clemson
defensive lineman Charlie Bauman. Bauman had intercepted a pass and was pushed out of bounds on the Ohio State sidelines, and a frustrated Hayes threw a forearm at Bauman's throat. Jackson (and color commentator Ara Parseghian
) failed to see or comment on Hayes' actions, which had been captured from a different vantage point on camera. No replay of the actual incident was available in the booth during the telecast, as the television crew was working with limited replay capability. In addition to this, no sideline reporter was available to provide information on the cause of the unsportsmanlike penalties that occurred as a result. This led to accusations that Jackson was protecting Hayes, who was later fired for the incident.
season and his intention to live full time at his home in California. Choosing the 1999 National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl
between Tennessee
and Florida State
as his last broadcast, he concluded the program by stating "Tennessee 23, Florida State 16. And so it is done. I say goodbye to all of you. God bless and good night." During the game, Jackson also verbally recognized that John Ward, Tennessee's long-time radio sportscaster, was also broadcasting his last football game for the Vols.
Jackson rescinded his decision the following fall and began to do a more limited schedule of games, teamed with Tim Brant and later Dan Fouts
, almost exclusively sticking to venues on the West Coast
, closer to his home in British Columbia
. Two notable exceptions were the 2003
Michigan-Ohio State game and the 2005 Red River Rivalry
. Both were the 100th meeting between two archrivals. He strongly hinted that he was interested in retiring for good after the 2005 season
, telling The New York Times
that he was feeling his age after 53 seasons. ABC tried to lure Jackson to stay, but he made up his mind. Jackson decided to retire for good on April 27, 2006, at age 77, noting he didn't want to die in a stadium parking lot. His last game call was the 2006 Rose Bowl
featuring Texas vs. Southern Cal
.
awarded Jackson the Gold Medal Award, its highest honor. The same year he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame for his many years of contribution to "The Granddaddy of Them All". The Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University awarded their alumnus with the Murrow Award for top leaders in the communication industry in 1999; Jackson was a charter member of the WSU Foundation, founded in 1979, provided scholarship money to the Murrow School and chaired the fund-raising drive for the school's alumni center. In 1994, Jackson was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association
Hall of Fame. On April 24, 1995, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
Hall of Fame, having won its National Sportscaster of the Year five successive times. The American Football Coaches Association
awarded him its Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
in 1993 as an individual "whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football." He was the first sports announcer to receive the Stagg award.
Longtime Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno
said of Jackson: "I don't think you could say that there is any one person who is not a coach, athletic director or administrator who has done more for college football than Keith Jackson". Michigan
Head Coach Lloyd Carr
described Jackson as "a symbol of all the good things in college football".
, often either playing himself, as on an episode of Coach
; or a sportscaster like himself, as in The Fortune Cookie
(1966
), appearing in the first speaking role of the film "Football Announcer" as a CBS play-by-play man, a network for whom he never worked. He has also appeared in and narrated several sports documentaries
. His play-by-play of the 1977 World Series
is used in the background of the Spike Lee
film
, Summer of Sam
(1999
). In 2007, he appeared in clips and voice on the ESPN
original series, The Bronx Is Burning
, featuring clips from ABC's Monday Night Baseball
, and ABC Sports' coverage of the 1977 World Series
.
Jackson has appeared in numerous commercials, especially in the latter stages of his career. He once parodied his broadcast persona for a Bud Light beer
commercial, in which he played the officiating minister at a wedding, finishing with his famous line, "Whoa, Nellie!" He also appeared in commercials for Shoney's
, a chain of family-style restaurants well-known in the Southeast, especially in his native Georgia. Most recently, Jackson has appeared in "The Legend of Gatorade
" ads, which he humorously alluded to during his live coverage of the 2006 Rose Bowl
. In 2006, he also was shown in a commercial for Ice Breakers' Ice Cubes with Hilary Duff
, Haylie Duff
and Joey Lawrence
, again contributing his famous "Whoa, Nellie!"
Jackson was portrayed by actor Shuler Hensley
in the 2002 made-for-cable film Monday Night Mayhem, which aired on TNT
. This film told the story of the initial seasons of Monday Night Football.
. He and his wife, Turi Ann, have three grown children and homes in the Los Angeles, California
area and Pender Harbour, British Columbia
, Canada
.
On the subject of writing a book, Jackson has admitted that he's considered it, but joked that he would only sit down and work on one if he were to ever lose his golf swing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, known for his long career with ABC Sports (1966–2006), his coverage of college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
(1952–2006), his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
reporting on World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the voice of ultimate authority in college football."
Early life
Keith Jackson was born on October 18, 1928 and grew up on a farm outside Carrollton, GeorgiaCarrollton, Georgia
Carrollton is a city in West Georgia, United States, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,388...
, near the Georgia-Alabama state line. The only surviving child in a poor family, he grew up listening to sports on the radio. After enlisting and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, he attended Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
under the G.I. Bill. Jackson began as a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
major, but he became interested in broadcasting. He graduated in 1954 with a degree in Speech Communications.
Broadcast career
Though best known for his college football broadcasts, Jackson announced numerous other sports for ABC throughout his career, including Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, the USFL, and the Olympic Games
Olympics on ABC
The Olympics on ABC was the branding for Olympic Games coverage which aired in the United States on the broadcast network ABC. ABC first televised the Winter Olympic Games in 1964. ABC first televised the Summer Olympic Games in 1968...
. He briefly worked college basketball
College Basketball on ABC
ESPN College Basketball on ABC presented by KFC was a television program on ABC that broadcast regular season NCAA Division I men's basketball games. In 1987, ABC began televising college basketball games on a regular basis. As CBS and NBC were also broadcasting college games at the time, this...
with Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale
Richard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
. Jackson also served as the pregame/halftime/postgame anchor for ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII was an American football game played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1987 regular season...
in 1988. During his onair tenure he is credited with nicknaming the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
as "The Grandaddy of them All" and Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
as "The Big House".
Early assignments
Jackson began his career as a broadcaster at Washington StateWashington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
in 1952, when he called a radio game between Stanford and Washington State. He then worked for KOMO radio
KOMO (AM)
KOMO is a radio station based in Seattle, Washington. Its format is primarily news. From 2003 to 2008, it was also the flagship station of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network...
in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and later for KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV, virtual channel 4, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is an affiliate of ABC and broadcasts on digital channel 38. KOMO-TV is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios and offices are co-located with sister radio stations KOMO , KVI , and KPLZ-FM ...
from 1954 to 1964 as co-anchor for their first news team (first co-anchor news team on the West Coast), covering Seafair hydroplane races, minor league Seattle Rainiers baseball games, and University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Huskies
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
football games. In 1958, Jackson became the first American sports announcer to broadcast an event from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, a crew
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
race between the Washington Huskies and a Soviet team. Despite heavy suspicion and numerous hurdles by the Soviet authorities, Jackson and his cohorts were able to cover the race: the first ever American sports victory on Russian soil. He became a radio news correspondent for ABC News Radio and sports director of ABC Radio West in 1964 before joining ABC Sports in 1966.
Jackson helped Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
cover the 1964 Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States took place in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one national Republican convention on the West Coast...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Professional football
In the early 1960s, Jackson covered American Football LeagueAmerican Football League on ABC
American Football League on ABC is a television program that broadcast professional football games of the then fledging American Football League on the American Broadcasting Company...
games. In 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, he was chosen to be the first play-by-play announcer on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
covering the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, but he remained in that capacity only for the program's first season. Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller....
was ABC's initial target but could not get out of his CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
contract until after the 1970 season. In 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
, however, Gifford landed the job. He found out that he had been taken off the Monday Night package from 38 messages, not from Roone Arledge
Roone Arledge
Roone Pickney Arledge, Jr. was an American sports broadcasting pioneer who was chairman of ABC News from 1977 until several years before his death, and a key part of the company's rise to competition with the two other main television networks, NBC and CBS, in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.-Early...
himself. This led to some contention between him and the brass at ABC.
Jackson was the lead play-by-play announcer for the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
broadcasts on ABC
United States Football League on television
On May 24, 1982, the United States Football League reached an agreement with ABC and ESPN on television rights. The money for inaugural 1983 season would be a total of $13 million: $9 million from ABC and $4 million from ESPN ....
from 1983
1983 USFL season
-Regular season:W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against = Division Champion, = Wild CardThe 1983 USFL season was the inaugural season of the United States Football League.-Regular season:...
to 1985
1985 USFL season
The 1985 USFL season was the third and final season of the United States Football League.-Regular season:W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against = Division Champion, = Wild Card-Playoffs:...
. He was paired with Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
and Tim Brant
Tim Brant
Tim Brant is an American sportscaster and Vice President and Director of Sports for ABC 7 / WJLA-TV in Washington DC. He has spent nearly thirty years covering sports nationally for CBS and ABC....
. He called all three championship games in the league's short history.
Olympic Games
Jackson was involved in the ABC coverageOlympics on ABC
The Olympics on ABC was the branding for Olympic Games coverage which aired in the United States on the broadcast network ABC. ABC first televised the Winter Olympic Games in 1964. ABC first televised the Summer Olympic Games in 1968...
of the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
and continued to contribute even when an attack by Palestinian terrorists
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
transformed the coverage from that of a typical sporting event was a greater international and historical news event. In all, he covered a total of 10 Summer and Winter Olympic Games. He covered speed-skating
Speed skating at the 1980 Winter Olympics
These are the results of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games speed skating competition held in Lake Placid, New York, at the Olympic Ice Center.-500 m:Friday February 15, 1980 — 37 competitors from 18 countries...
during the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
featuring Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
. Interestingly enough, he was offered the position of play-by-play for hockey
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics was held at the Olympic Arena and the Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid, New York. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, which was held from February 12 to February 24...
, but turned it down (the position ultimately went to Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
). He covered basketball
Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Championship bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place-Preliminary Round:...
in 1984
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
NBA
He was ABC's lead basketball play-by-play announcer with legendary NBA player Bill RussellBill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
for four years.
Wide World of Sports
Jackson was a regular part of ABC's popular Wide World of SportsWide World of Sports (US TV series)
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
(WWOS), covering both popular sports and obscure events like wrist wrestling. For WWOS he covered Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel , born Robert Craig Knievel, was an American daredevil and entertainer. In his career he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974, a failed jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket...
's successful jump at Exhibition Stadium
Exhibition Stadium
Canadian National Exhibition Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
, in Toronto, Canada, on August 20, 1974; He also handled WWOS first coverage of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
at the North American Continental Boxing Championships on July 26, 1975, who Jackson called a young boxer to watch. He teamed with Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
and Chris Economaki
Chris Economaki
Christopher "Chris" Constantine Economaki is an American motorsports commentator, pit road reporter, and journalist. Chris Economaki has been given the title "The Dean of American Motorsports." Microsoft chose Economaki to author the auto racing history portion of its Encarta...
in (WWOS) coverage of auto racing; among the notable events covered by Jackson was the 1974 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
.
Major League Baseball
In baseball, Keith Jackson called (alongside Tim McCarverTim McCarver
James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...
) the now famous 16-inning long sixth game of the 1986 National League Championship Series
1986 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 1986 at Astrodome in Houston, TexasGame 1 featured a pitching duel between eventual NLCS Most Valuable Player Mike Scott and Dwight Gooden. Scott allowed just five hits and walked one while striking out 14 in a complete-game effort as the host Astros prevailed 1–0...
between the New York Mets
1986 New York Mets season
The 1986 New York Mets season was the Mets' 25th season in the National League. They began the season looking to equal or improve upon their 98–64 record from 1985 and to try to win the National League East Division. They finished the season with a 108–54 record, cruising to the division title...
and Houston Astros
1986 Houston Astros season
-Regular season:* Kevin Bass had a twenty game hit streak during the season.* Dave Smith set a club record with 33 saves in one season.* September 24, 1986: Jim Deshaies set a record for the most strikeouts to start a game...
. That turned out to be the final Major League Baseball game that Jackson broadcast. Jackson had previously broadcast ABC's coverage of the 1977
1979 World Series
The 1979 World Series matched the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League's Baltimore Orioles , with the Pirates coming back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series in seven games...
, 1979
1979 World Series
The 1979 World Series matched the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League's Baltimore Orioles , with the Pirates coming back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series in seven games...
and 1981 World Series
1981 World Series
The 1981 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking their third meeting in the Series in five years as well as a record eleventh Series meeting overall and last Series meeting to date...
(Jackson split play-by-play duties with Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
for the latter two with Jackson calling the games at the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
site), the 1978
1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 49th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 11, 1978 at San Diego Stadium in San Diego, California, home of the...
, 1980
1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 51st midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 8, 1980 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, home of the Los...
and 1982 All-Star Game
1982 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1982 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 53rd midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 13, 1982 at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, home of the...
(again, sharing play-by-play duties with Al Michaels for the latter two), the 1980 National League Championship Series
1980 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...
, the 1976
1976 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 9, 1976 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriThe opener was played on a bright Saturday afternoon at Royals Stadium and pitted Yankee ace Jim “Catfish” Hunter against left-hander and ex-Yankee Larry Gura. The Yankees got off to a quick start scoring two in the first...
, 1978
1978 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 3, 1978 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriPrior to the start of this game, both teams had to deal with bad news. Ron Guidry, he of the incredible 25–3 Cy Young Award-winning season, would be unavailable to start until Game 4, if played, at least...
and 1982 American League Championship Series
1982 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 5, 1982 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, CaliforniaThe Angels jumped to a 1–0 lead in the first when Brian Downing scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Don Baylor. Milwaukee came back to take a 3–1 lead with a two-run homer by Gorman Thomas in the second and a run...
, the 1981 American League Division Series
1981 American League Division Series
-New York Yankees vs. Milwaukee Brewers:-Game 1, October 6:Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriMike Norris faced Dennis Leonard and the defending AL Champions in Game 1. Both pitchers were on their game and the game was scoreless through three innings. But in the top of the fourth, the A's got a...
between the New York Yankees
1981 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees' 1981 season was the 79th season for the Yankees. In the ALCS, the Yankees swept the Oakland Athletics for their only pennant of the 1980s. However, they lost in the World Series in 6 games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York was managed by Gene Michael and Bob Lemon...
and Milwaukee Brewers
1981 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers' 1981 season involved the Brewers' finishing 1st in American League East during the second half of the split schedule with an overall record of 62 wins and 47 losses. They proceeded to lose to the New York Yankees in the ALDS...
, and the 1978 American League East tie-breaker game
1978 American League East tie-breaker game
The 1978 American League East tie-breaker game was played between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1978....
between the New York Yankees
1978 New York Yankees season
The 1978 New York Yankees season was the 76th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 100-63, finishing one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox to win their third American League East title. The two teams were tied after 162 games, leading to a one-game playoff, which the Yankees...
and Boston Red Sox
1978 Boston Red Sox season
The 1978 Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing second in the American League East with a record of 99 wins and 64 losses.- Offseason :...
alongside Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
.
Jackson was unavailable to call Game 1 of the 1976 American League Championship Series because he had just finished calling an Oklahoma
1976 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1976 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1976 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where...
-Texas college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game for ABC. Thus, Bob Uecker
Bob Uecker
Robert George "Bob" Uecker is an American former Major League Baseball player, later a sportscaster, comedian, and actor. Uecker was given the title of "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson...
filled-in for Jackson for Game 1. In , Jackson called an Oklahoma
1978 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1978 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1978 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where...
-Texas college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game for ABC
College Football on ABC
ESPN College Football on ABC presented by Kay Jewelers is a presentation of the American Broadcasting Company's regular season American college football television package...
on October 7, and then flew to New York, arriving just in time to call Game 4 of the ALCS
1978 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 3, 1978 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriPrior to the start of this game, both teams had to deal with bad news. Ron Guidry, he of the incredible 25–3 Cy Young Award-winning season, would be unavailable to start until Game 4, if played, at least...
that same night. On October 11, 1980, Jackson called an Oklahoma
1980 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1980 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1980 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where...
-Texas college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game for ABC in the afternoon, then flew to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
to call Game 4 of the NLCS
1980 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...
. In the meantime, Don Drysdale filled-in for Jackson on play-by-play for the early innings.
College basketball
Starting in 1987, he was the lead ABCCollege Basketball on ABC
ESPN College Basketball on ABC presented by KFC was a television program on ABC that broadcast regular season NCAA Division I men's basketball games. In 1987, ABC began televising college basketball games on a regular basis. As CBS and NBC were also broadcasting college games at the time, this...
play-by-play announcer with legendary analyst Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale
Richard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
. This partnership lasted until 1992.
College football
For all his success, he received the most acclaim for his coverage of college footballCollege Football on ABC
ESPN College Football on ABC presented by Kay Jewelers is a presentation of the American Broadcasting Company's regular season American college football television package...
. He genuinely enjoyed the sport and the purity of it. Jackson began his ABC career at a time when television play-by-play announcers did not always have regular analysts. He would only once miss working a college season in his over 50 years (when he served as play-by-play announcer during the inaugural season of Monday Night Football), beginning in 1952. Jackson was joined in the booth by Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
for the 1974 Michigan-Ohio State game in Columbus
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974...
, while Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
accompanied him for the 1974 Notre Dame-USC game.
In his many years covering college football, Jackson has been paired with a wide variety of color commentators, including Jack Jensen (1966–1967), Lee Grosscup
Lee Grosscup
Clyde Lee Edward Grosscup is a former American football player and broadcaster.-Collegiate career:Grosscup was a quarterback for the Washington Huskies in 1955...
(1972), Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
(1969–1975) Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
(1975–1979), Frank Broyles
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles is a former American football player and coach, athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach the University of Missouri in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas from 1958 to 1976...
(1978–1985), Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
(1984–1985), Tim Brant
Tim Brant
Tim Brant is an American sportscaster and Vice President and Director of Sports for ABC 7 / WJLA-TV in Washington DC. He has spent nearly thirty years covering sports nationally for CBS and ABC....
(1986, 2001–2002), Bob Griese
Bob Griese
Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...
(1987–1999), and Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
(2002–2005).
For many years, he was assigned by ABC to the primary national game of the week. His quirky expressions such as "Whoa, Nellie!", "Fum-BLE!" and "Hold the phonnnnne!" (following a penalty flag) are often the subject of comedic imitation. Though he greatly popularized it, Jackson notes that he learned the term "Whoa, Nellie" from earlier television announcer Dick Lane
Dick Lane (TV announcer)
Richard Lane , more commonly known as Dick Lane, was an American television announcer and actor who made his mark broadcasting wrestling and roller derby shows on KTLA-TV, mainly from the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.-Early years:Lane was born in 1899 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin...
. He has often referred to offensive and defensive line players as the Big Uglies, or to an individual by saying "That guy...is a hus" (horse). Jackson is also credited with coining the nickname for Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
, The Big House. In the season before his first retirement, during what was thought to be his final game at The Big House, the Michigan Marching Band
Michigan Marching Band
The Michigan Marching Band is the University of Michigan's marching band.-History:In 1896 the MMB was founded as a student organization and became a firm part of the Michigan tradition in 1898. Shortly after William D. Revelli became director he aligned the MMB with the School of Music which...
's halftime show concluded by spelling out "Thanks Keith" across the field, the 111,019 fans turned toward the press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
, stood up and cheered for the commentator, and as a part of the halftime event former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
presented Jackson with a jersey with "The Big House" across the front and a Michigan football helmet.
During the mid-'80s, he began falling out of favor with ABC executives due to the rise of stars such as Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
and Jim Lampley
Jim Lampley
James "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
. Jackson's contract expired after the 1986 Sugar Bowl
1986 Sugar Bowl
The 1986 Sugar Bowl, featuring the 2nd ranked Miami Hurricanes and the 8th ranked Tennessee Volunteers, was played on January 1, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana....
. He had a 3 month "retirement" until new ABC Sports President Dennis Swanson personally offered him a 3 year contract, which he accepted.
In the 1990s, Jackson recorded videos for the centennial of the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
. In 2006, Jackson introduced the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
' "Tunnel Walk" video on the stadium "HuskerVision" screens. This video played before every home game at Memorial Stadium in the 2006 season. It was also used for one home game in 2007, against Texas A&M. On September 26, 2009, for the 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium, Jackson again provided a video tribute to the fans of Nebraska.
Jackson's connections to the University of Nebraska remain strong. It was Jackson himself that the university contacted when designing its new pressbox facility—Jackson's advice included a recommendation that it include a separate restroom inside the broadcast booth, as few if any broadcast booths had any suitable restroom facilities. When Jackson broadcast the Nebraska/California game the following season (the debut of the Cornhuskers' new pressbox), he found a restroom in the booth with a sign reading "The Keith Jackson Memorial Bippy." The sign was a joke from Jackson's longtime friend, Nebraska sports information director Don Bryant. The name stuck, and a permanent plaque was put up next to the restroom door that reads "The Keith Jackson Toilet Facility - Dedicated Sept 11, 1999".
On November 3, 2007 during the half time of the Arkansas vs South Carolina game, Jackson was present in the press box at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is an American football stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and serves as the home field of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team since its opening in 1938. The stadium was formerly known as Razorback Stadium since 1941 before being renamed in 2001...
as the Master of Ceremonies for the retirement of and field dedication to long time ABC color commentator and partner Frank Broyles
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles is a former American football player and coach, athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach the University of Missouri in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas from 1958 to 1976...
.
Jackson would call the 1972 Southern Cal Trojans the greatest team he ever saw. Jackson, who was in his first year in ABC football broadcasting narrating the taped highlights of the 1967 Southern Cal vs. UCLA football game, declared it many years later to be the greatest game he has ever seen.
Jackson's career was not free of incidents. During the 1978 Gator Bowl
1978 Gator Bowl
The 1978 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers on December 29, 1978.This game proved to be coach Woody Hayes' last game at OSU. With just over two minutes left in the game, OSU trailed 17-15...
, Jackson missed Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
Head Coach Woody Hayes' infamous punch of Clemson
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
defensive lineman Charlie Bauman. Bauman had intercepted a pass and was pushed out of bounds on the Ohio State sidelines, and a frustrated Hayes threw a forearm at Bauman's throat. Jackson (and color commentator Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
) failed to see or comment on Hayes' actions, which had been captured from a different vantage point on camera. No replay of the actual incident was available in the booth during the telecast, as the television crew was working with limited replay capability. In addition to this, no sideline reporter was available to provide information on the cause of the unsportsmanlike penalties that occurred as a result. This led to accusations that Jackson was protecting Hayes, who was later fired for the incident.
Retirement
Jackson announced his first retirement from college football at the end of the 19981998 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first of the Bowl Championship Series, which saw Tennessee win the national championship, one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the NFL...
season and his intention to live full time at his home in California. Choosing the 1999 National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl
1999 Fiesta Bowl
The 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles...
between Tennessee
1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997...
and Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
as his last broadcast, he concluded the program by stating "Tennessee 23, Florida State 16. And so it is done. I say goodbye to all of you. God bless and good night." During the game, Jackson also verbally recognized that John Ward, Tennessee's long-time radio sportscaster, was also broadcasting his last football game for the Vols.
Jackson rescinded his decision the following fall and began to do a more limited schedule of games, teamed with Tim Brant and later Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
, almost exclusively sticking to venues on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, closer to his home in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Two notable exceptions were the 2003
2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate....
Michigan-Ohio State game and the 2005 Red River Rivalry
Red River Rivalry
The Red River Rivalry, commonly known as the OU-Texas Game or Texas-OU Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oklahoma Sooners football team of the University of Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns football team of the University of Texas. The series is considered...
. Both were the 100th meeting between two archrivals. He strongly hinted that he was interested in retiring for good after the 2005 season
2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the least amount of controversy surrounding the Bowl Championship Series title game in many years.To an extent it was a return to classic football...
, telling The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that he was feeling his age after 53 seasons. ABC tried to lure Jackson to stay, but he made up his mind. Jackson decided to retire for good on April 27, 2006, at age 77, noting he didn't want to die in a stadium parking lot. His last game call was the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
featuring Texas vs. Southern Cal
2005 USC Trojans football team
The 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the college football season of 2005–2006, winning the Pacific-10 Conference , and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship...
.
Big 10 Icons
In March, 2010, the Big Ten Conference announced that Jackson would host a 20-episode series called Big 10 Icons which will highlight what the Big 10 Conference considers the league's top 50 student-athletes. The series will be presented countdown style, and the top Big Ten student athlete will be revealed during a program to be broadcast during the 2011 Big Ten Basketball Tournament.Awards and honors
In 1999, the National Football FoundationNational Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
awarded Jackson the Gold Medal Award, its highest honor. The same year he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame for his many years of contribution to "The Granddaddy of Them All". The Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University awarded their alumnus with the Murrow Award for top leaders in the communication industry in 1999; Jackson was a charter member of the WSU Foundation, founded in 1979, provided scholarship money to the Murrow School and chaired the fund-raising drive for the school's alumni center. In 1994, Jackson was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association
American Sportscasters Association
American Sportscasters Association was founded in 1979 by broadcaster Dick London and associate attorney Harold Foner as a non profit association to represent sportscasters by promoting and supporting the needs and interests of the professional sports broadcaster.-History:In 1980, Louis O...
Hall of Fame. On April 24, 1995, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, or NSSA, is an organization of sports media members in the United States. It constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports Press Association ....
Hall of Fame, having won its National Sportscaster of the Year five successive times. The American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
awarded him its Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is presented annually by the American Football Coaches Association to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football’’. Recipients receive a plaque which is a replica of the one given to...
in 1993 as an individual "whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football." He was the first sports announcer to receive the Stagg award.
Longtime Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
said of Jackson: "I don't think you could say that there is any one person who is not a coach, athletic director or administrator who has done more for college football than Keith Jackson". Michigan
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
Head Coach Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Carr
Lloyd H. Carr is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Wolverines compiled a record of 122–40 and won or shared five Big Ten Conference titles...
described Jackson as "a symbol of all the good things in college football".
Film and television appearances
Jackson has had a minor career as an actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, often either playing himself, as on an episode of Coach
Coach (TV series)
Coach is an American television sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997. The series starred Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional Division I-A college football team, the Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles...
; or a sportscaster like himself, as in The Fortune Cookie
The Fortune Cookie
The Fortune Cookie is a 1966 film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in their first on-screen collaboration, and directed by Billy Wilder.- Plot :...
(1966
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
), appearing in the first speaking role of the film "Football Announcer" as a CBS play-by-play man, a network for whom he never worked. He has also appeared in and narrated several sports documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
. His play-by-play of the 1977 World Series
1977 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
is used in the background of the Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam is a 1999 crime-drama based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee.-Plot:Summer of Sam is the story of a group of people in New York City in the summer of 1977, a time when the headlines were dominated by the Son of Sam serial killer...
(1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
). In 2007, he appeared in clips and voice on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
original series, The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning is a television drama that debuted on ESPN on July 9, 2007, after the 2007 MLB Home Run Derby. It is an eight-episode mini-series adapted from Jonathan Mahler's best-selling book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning...
, featuring clips from ABC's Monday Night Baseball
Monday Night Baseball
Monday Night Baseball is a live game telecast of Major League Baseball that airs most Monday nights during the regular season on ESPN and is also available in high definition on ESPNHD. The official name of the game is Monday Night Baseball presented by Vonage. The game starts at 7 p.m...
, and ABC Sports' coverage of the 1977 World Series
1977 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
.
Jackson has appeared in numerous commercials, especially in the latter stages of his career. He once parodied his broadcast persona for a Bud Light beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
commercial, in which he played the officiating minister at a wedding, finishing with his famous line, "Whoa, Nellie!" He also appeared in commercials for Shoney's
Shoney's
Shoney’s is a privately held restaurant chain that operates primarily in the Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. It is named after Alex Schoenbaum, who was the owner of the original chain of Big Boy restaurants in the southeastern United States...
, a chain of family-style restaurants well-known in the Southeast, especially in his native Georgia. Most recently, Jackson has appeared in "The Legend of Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
" ads, which he humorously alluded to during his live coverage of the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
. In 2006, he also was shown in a commercial for Ice Breakers' Ice Cubes with Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, Haylie Duff
Haylie Duff
Haylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
and Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence
Joseph "Joey" Lawrence is an American actor, R&B-singer, and TV-host. He is known for his roles in the TV-series Gimme a Break!, Blossom, and Melissa & Joey.- Early life :...
, again contributing his famous "Whoa, Nellie!"
Jackson was portrayed by actor Shuler Hensley
Shuler Hensley
-Early life:Hensley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His father, Sam P. Hensley, Jr., is a former Georgia Tech football star, retired civil engineer and former state senator. His mother, Iris Antley Hensley, was a ballerina and the...
in the 2002 made-for-cable film Monday Night Mayhem, which aired on TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
. This film told the story of the initial seasons of Monday Night Football.
Personal
Jackson is a long-time resident of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He and his wife, Turi Ann, have three grown children and homes in the Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area and Pender Harbour, British Columbia
Pender Harbour, British Columbia
“”Pender Harbour is a large, multi-inleted bay on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, on the east side of Malaspina Strait. Once a steamer stop, a fishing village and an important logging and medical waypoint, it is now an unincorporated community within the Sunshine Coast Regional District .Pender...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
On the subject of writing a book, Jackson has admitted that he's considered it, but joked that he would only sit down and work on one if he were to ever lose his golf swing.
1970s
- September 21, 19701970 NFL seasonThe 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
: First Monday Night FootballMonday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
game Browns1970 Cleveland Browns seasonThe 1970 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 21st season with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1970 NFL Draft.-Exhibition schedule:-Regular season schedule:-Standings:-References:...
beat the Jets1970 New York Jets seasonThe 1970 New York Jets season was the 11th season for the team and the first in the National Football League, following the AFL-NFL merger. It began with the team trying to maintain or improve upon its 10–4 record from 1969 under head coach Weeb Ewbank... - 1971 Daytona 5001971 Daytona 500The 1971 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event held on February 14, 1971 at the Daytona International Speedway spanning on a paved oval track. All of the racing action commenced during daytime hours and ended prior to dusk since there was no lighting available until at least the 1998...
- Richard PettyRichard PettyRichard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
won his 3rd Daytona 500. - 1972 NBA Finals1972 NBA FinalsThe 1972 NBA Finals was played at the conclusion of the 1971–72 NBA season. The Western Conference Champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference Champion New York Knicks in five games...
- Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
won the title. - 1972 Summer Olympics1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
- U.S. swimmer Mark SpitzMark SpitzMark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....
wins seven gold medals - November 30, 1974: #6 USC vs. #5 Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
- The "Earthquake Game" - 1975 Indianapolis 5001975 Indianapolis 500The 1975 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1975.Wally Dallenbach Sr. had a twenty-second lead when he retired on lap 162 with a burned piston. Johnny Rutherford lost the inherited lead to Bobby Unser when he pitted. On lap 171 the yellow came out for rain and the two...
- Bobby UnserBobby UnserRobert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
won the race that was shortened by rain. - 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer OlympicsThe 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
- Bruce JennerBruce JennerWilliam Bruce Jenner is a former U.S. track and field athlete, motivational speaker, socialite and television personality. He won the gold medal for decathlon in the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics....
wins the decathlonDecathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not... - 1976 American League Championship Series1976 American League Championship Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 9, 1976 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriThe opener was played on a bright Saturday afternoon at Royals Stadium and pitted Yankee ace Jim “Catfish” Hunter against left-hander and ex-Yankee Larry Gura. The Yankees got off to a quick start scoring two in the first...
- New York Yankees1976 New York Yankees seasonThe 1976 New York Yankees season was the 74th season for the Yankees in New York, and the 76th season overall for the franchise. The team finished with a record of 97-62, finishing 10½ games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles to win their first American League East title.In the ALCS, the Yankees...
vs. Kansas City Royals1976 Kansas City Royals seasonThe 1976 Kansas City Royals season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Royals finishing first in the American League West with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses...
(including Chris ChamblissChris ChamblissCarroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
' series-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 off of Mark LittellMark LittellMark Alan Littell , is a professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1973-1982 for the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. Littell had a lifetime ERA of 3.32 and saved 56 games from 1976 to 1981...
) - October 22, 1977: #5 USC vs. #11 Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
- The "Green Jersey Game" - 1977 World Series1977 World Series-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
- New York Yankees1977 New York Yankees seasonThe 1977 New York Yankees season was the 75th season for the Yankees in New York and the 77th season overall for the franchise. It culminated in the 21st World Series championship in franchise history, and its first under the ownership of George Steinbrenner...
vs. Los Angeles Dodgers1977 Los Angeles Dodgers seasonThe Los Angeles Dodgers season saw Tommy Lasorda take over the reins as Manager from longtime skipper Walter Alston. The Dodgers coasted to a 10-game victory in the National League West and beat the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the NLCS, only to lose to the New York Yankees in the World...
(including Reggie JacksonReggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
's 3 homers on 3 pitches). - October 2, 1978: AL East Playoff1978 American League East tie-breaker gameThe 1978 American League East tie-breaker game was played between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1978....
- New York Yankees1978 New York Yankees seasonThe 1978 New York Yankees season was the 76th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 100-63, finishing one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox to win their third American League East title. The two teams were tied after 162 games, leading to a one-game playoff, which the Yankees...
vs. Boston Red Sox1978 Boston Red Sox seasonThe 1978 Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing second in the American League East with a record of 99 wins and 64 losses.- Offseason :...
(Bucky DentBucky DentRussell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...
's HR). - December 29, 1978: Gator Bowl1978 Gator BowlThe 1978 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers on December 29, 1978.This game proved to be coach Woody Hayes' last game at OSU. With just over two minutes left in the game, OSU trailed 17-15...
– Ohio State1978 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 1978 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1978-1979. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–4–1 record, including the 1978 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, where they lost 17–15 to the Clemson...
vs. ClemsonClemson Tigers footballThe Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
(Woody HayesWoody HayesWayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
' infamous last game) - January 1, 1979: Sugar Bowl1979 Sugar BowlThe 1979 Sugar Bowl was the 45th edition of the Sugar Bowl, which was played on January 1, 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Louisiana Superdome. The matchup featured the #1–ranked, 11–0 Penn State Nittany Lions and the #2–ranked, 10–1 Alabama Crimson Tide...
– #2 Alabama vs. #1 Penn State
1980s
- January 1, 1981: Sugar Bowl1981 Sugar BowlThe 1981 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the top ranked Georgia Bulldogs, and the seventh ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.In the first quarter, Notre Dame scored on a 50 yard Oliver field goal, giving the Irish a 3-0 lead. Another Notre Dame scoring opportunity in the first quarter was foiled...
- #1 Georgia vs. #4 Notre Dame - 1980 Winter Olympics1980 Winter OlympicsThe 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
- U.S. speed skater Eric HeidenEric HeidenEric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
wins five gold medals - November 28, 1981: Iron BowlIron BowlThe Iron Bowl is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University. The series is considered one of the best and most hard-fought rivalries in all of sports...
Alabama 28 vs Auburn1981 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 1981 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college football season of 1981. Competing as a member of the Southeastern Conference , the team was led by head coach Pat Dye, in his first year, and played their home...
17 - Coach Paul "Bear" BryantBear BryantPaul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
wins his 315th collegiate game as a head coach, surpassing Amos Alonzo Stagg as college football's winningest coach. - October 17, 1981: Arkansas RazorbacksArkansas RazorbacksThe Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
routed the #1 Texas Longhorns 42-11. - January 1, 1983: Sugar Bowl1983 Sugar BowlThe 1983 Sugar Bowl was the 49th edition to the annual game. It featured the second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, and the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Penn State won 27-23, to win the national championship, and finish number 1 in the polls....
- #1 Georgia vs. #2 Penn State - 1984 Summer Olympics1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
- The USA basketball team, led by Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and Patrick EwingPatrick EwingPatrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
, wins gold - October 27, 1984: West VirginiaWest Virginia Mountaineers footballThe West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
17-No. 19 Penn State 14 - 1986 National League Championship Series1986 National League Championship Series-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 1986 at Astrodome in Houston, TexasGame 1 featured a pitching duel between eventual NLCS Most Valuable Player Mike Scott and Dwight Gooden. Scott allowed just five hits and walked one while striking out 14 in a complete-game effort as the host Astros prevailed 1–0...
- New York Mets1986 New York Mets seasonThe 1986 New York Mets season was the Mets' 25th season in the National League. They began the season looking to equal or improve upon their 98–64 record from 1985 and to try to win the National League East Division. They finished the season with a 108–54 record, cruising to the division title...
vs. Houston Astros1986 Houston Astros season-Regular season:* Kevin Bass had a twenty game hit streak during the season.* Dave Smith set a club record with 33 saves in one season.* September 24, 1986: Jim Deshaies set a record for the most strikeouts to start a game...
(Inc. 16 inn. Game 6) - November 30, 1985: Iron BowlIron BowlThe Iron Bowl is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University. The series is considered one of the best and most hard-fought rivalries in all of sports...
Alabama 25 vs Auburn1985 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 1985 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Season:Bo Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards, which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history behind Herschel Walker's 1,891 rushing yards for the Georgia in 1981...
23 - The Kick - May 1987: NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
The Winston all-star race won by Dale EarnhardtDale EarnhardtRalph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR... - December 5, 1987: NCAA Basketball, IndianaIndiana Hoosiers men's basketballThe Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
vs. KentuckyKentucky Wildcats men's basketballThe Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
, Bank One/Big Four Classic (with Dick VitaleDick VitaleRichard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
). - November 26, 1988: #1 Notre Dame1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teamThe 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 college football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship...
vs. #2 Southern Cal - February 19, 1989: NCAA Basketball, Indiana Hoosiers vs. Michigan Wolverines1988–89 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball teamThe 1988–89 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1988–89 season. The Head Coach was head coach Bill Frieder, who was dismissed before the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and replaced by...
. Jay Edwards' last second shot to beat Michigan (with Dick Vitale.) - September 16, 1989: #1 Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
vs. #2 Michigan.
1990s
- November 16, 1991: #2 Miami1991 Miami Hurricanes football teamThe 1991 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season, as determined by the AP Poll. 1991 was a split championship year, though, as the Washington Huskies finished #1 in the Coaches' Poll...
vs. #1 Florida State1991 Florida State Seminoles football teamThe 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team finished the 1991 college football season ranked #4 in both polls. They started the season ranked #1, but were dropped in the rankings after Wide Right I. The Seminoles offense scored 449 points while the defense allowed 188 points...
(a.k.a. "Wide Right IWide Right (Florida State)Wide Right I is the colloquial name for a 1991 college football game between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles. The game is one of the most significant in the history of the Miami – Florida State rivalry, and its name is a reference to its dramatic ending: With 29 seconds remaining...
"). - January 1, 1992: Rose Bowl1992 Rose BowlThe 1992 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1992, the 78th Rose Bowl game. Before 103,566 in attendance in Pasadena and a national television audience, the #2 Washington Huskies defeated the #4 Michigan Wolverines 34-14. Washington DT Steve Emtman and QB Billy Joe...
– #2 Washington1991 Washington Huskies football teamThe 1991 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 1991 college football season. Head coach Don James was assisted by coordinators Keith Gilbertson and Jim Lambright , both head coaches themselves within two years.The 1991 team was arguably the finest team in...
vs. #3 Michigan (Washington won a split national championship) - January 1, 1993: Sugar Bowl1993 Sugar BowlThe 1993 Sugar Bowl took place on January 1, 1993, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It served as the final game and the National Championship of the 1992–93 college football season. The game featured two unbeaten teams in the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Miami Hurricanes...
- #2 Alabama1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football teamThe 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1992 college football season. This was the team's third season under head coach Gene Stallings. They played their home games at both Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Legion Field in Birmingham,...
vs. #1 Miami1992 Miami Hurricanes football teamThe 1992 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1992 NCAA College Football season.-Schedule:-Awards and honors:*Gino Torretta, Davey O'Brien Award*Gino Torretta, Heisman Trophy *Gino Torretta, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award... - September 24, 1994: Colorado1994 Colorado Buffaloes football teamThe 1994 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 1994 college football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 439 points while the defense allowed 235 points. The team was led by head coach Bill McCartney....
at Michigan1994 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 1994 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1994 college football season. Led by Gary Moeller in his last season as head coach, the Wolverines participated in the Holiday Bowl.-Schedule:...
, the Westbrook Hail MaryThe Miracle at MichiganThe Miracle at Michigan refers to the final play that occurred during the American football game played on September 24, 1994 between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game was decided on Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart's 64-yard...
game - January 2, 1997: Sugar Bowl1997 Sugar BowlThe 1997 Sugar Bowl was the 63rd edition to the annual game. It featured the top ranked , and their heated rivals, the third ranked Florida Gators. It was the designated National Championship Game for the 1996-97 season by the Bowl Alliance. The match up was supposed to feature the top two teams...
– #1 Florida StateFlorida State Seminoles footballThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
vs. #3 Florida1996 Florida Gators football teamThe 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's seventh season under head coach Steve Spurrier...
for the national championship - January 1, 1998: Rose Bowl1998 Rose BowlThe 1998 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1998 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It was the 84th Rose Bowl Game. The game featured Michigan beating Washington State by a score of 21–16. The ending of the game is controversial...
– Michigan1997 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third year under head coach Lloyd Carr, Michigan compiled a perfect 12–0 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, defeated Washington State in the 1998...
21, Washington State1997 Washington State Cougars football teamThe 1997 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 1997 NCAA college football season. The Cougars were led by ninth-year head coach Mike Price and played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington....
16 (With this game Michigan won a share of the 1997 National Championship) - January 4, 1999: Fiesta Bowl1999 Fiesta BowlThe 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the designated BCS National Championship Game for the 1998 season, was played on January 4, 1999, in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The teams were the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles...
– #1 Tennessee1998 Tennessee Volunteers football teamThe 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997...
23, #2 Florida State 16 in the first BCS National Championship GameBCS National Championship GameThe BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
2000s
- January 4, 2002: Rose Bowl2002 Rose BowlThe 2002 Rose Bowl, played on January 3, 2002, was a college football bowl game. It was the 88th Rose Bowl game and was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2001 college football season...
– Miami (FL)2001 Miami Hurricanes football teamThe 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team was the national champion of the 2001 college football season and is considered by many to be the greatest team in college football history.-Pre-season motivation:...
vs. Nebraska2001 Nebraska Cornhuskers football teamThe 2001 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Frank Solich and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
in 2002 BCS National Championship Game - September 2, 2002: Auburn2002 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2002 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Auburn, led by head coach Tommy Tuberville, finished with record of 9–4, including a 5–3 record in the Southeastern Conference. Following a disappointing 7–5 finish the previous...
at Southern Cal2002 USC Trojans football teamThe 2002 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2002-2003 NCAA Division I-A college football season.... - November 30, 2002: Notre Dame at Southern Cal
- January 3, 2003: Fiesta Bowl2003 Fiesta BowlThe 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3,2003 in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season...
– Miami (FL)2002 Miami Hurricanes football teamThe 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team sought to defend the school's 1-A national championship. They were coached by second year head coach Larry Coker, and competed in the Big East Conference- Pre Season :...
vs. Ohio State2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was the national champion of the 2002 college football season. The team was the first in Division I-A history to finish its season at 14–0, and the second to win 14 games, following BYU's 14–1 season in 1996...
in 2003 BCS National Championship Game - November 22, 2003: Ohio State2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football teamThe 2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2003-2004. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State finished the season with a record of 11-2 and placed second in the...
at MichiganMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... - November 28, 2003: Nebraska2003 Nebraska Cornhuskers football teamThe 2003 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Frank Solich and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
at ColoradoColorado Buffaloes footballThe Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... - September 11, 2004: Colorado StateColorado State Rams footballThe Colorado State Rams football program, established in 1893, represents Colorado State University and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference under head coach Steve Fairchild...
at Southern Cal2004 USC Trojans football teamThe 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004-2005 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules, the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National... - October 30, 2004: Oklahoma at Oklahoma StateOklahoma State Cowboys footballThe Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
- October 8, 2005: Oklahoma vs. Texas
- November 19, 2005: "The Big GameBig Game (football)The Big Game is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley and the Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. It is typically played in late November or early December...
" (StanfordStanford Cardinal footballThe Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
vs. California2005 California Golden Bears football teamThe 2005 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the college football 2005-2006 season. They played their home games at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California and were coached by Jeff Tedford....
) - December 29, 2005: Holiday Bowl2005 Holiday BowlThe 2005 Holiday Bowl was the third bowl game played of the game of the 2004-2005 bowl season. The game was held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on December 29, 2005, with the Big 12's Oklahoma Sooners defeating the Pac-10's Oregon Ducks, 17-14.-Team selection:The Ducks were playing to show that...
- Oklahoma vs. Oregon2005 Oregon Ducks football teamIn 2005, Oregon had success behind senior quarterback Kellen Clemens and a new spread offense. During a game at Arizona, Clemens suffered a broken ankle. At that point Oregon was 8-1 , and still in the hunt for a BCS game... - January 4, 2006: Rose Bowl2006 Rose BowlThe 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
- Texas vs. Southern Cal2005 USC Trojans football teamThe 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the college football season of 2005–2006, winning the Pacific-10 Conference , and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship...
in 2006 BCS National Championship Game
External links
- Big Man on Campus, interview from the Sporting News
- Keith Jackson ABC Bio