An actor, sportswriter and
sportscaster by profession, Jim McKay was originally named-James Kenneth McManus. He was born on 24th September, 1921. He was the trend setter and the most loved and adored
sports journalist, America ever witnessed. He was famous for his show 'Wide World of Sports' on
ABC. His demise in the year 2008 came as a jolt to his family, friends and fans.
He was born in a Roman Catholic American Irish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Overbrook and did his schooling from Saint Joseph's Preparatory School and Our Lady of Lourdes Grade School. When his family shifted to Baltimore, located in Maryland, he had to change his school and therefore joined Loyola Blakefield high school. In the year 1943, he graduated from Loyola College, which was situated in Maryland. He was a part of the Navy during World War II, as the caption of Minesweepers.
He started his career with a newspaper 'Baltimore Sun', as a reporter. In 1947, he joined WMAR-TV, which was a news TV station of the same organization. He continued to work with them for 3 good years and his was the first voice, whom people in Baltimore heard on television. In 1950, he was hired by
CBS as a host for one of their show 'The Real McKay'. It was because of this show, which forced James Kenneth McManus to become Jim McKay. After his joining
CBS as a host for a variety show, he shifted his interest more towards
sports commentary because he actually started enjoying it.
During the 1950s, he was more specifically taking up
sports casting shows and events. His first major task was to announce the 1960 Summer Olympics, which he did flawlessly, even after recovering from a recent mental breakdown. In 1955, he appeared on
NBC as a host for just 6 episodes for 'Make the Connection', a game show. After successful and victorious innings at both
CBS and
NBC, he joined
ABC as their host for the most famous and high ranking show 'Wide World of Sports'. After 2 years of his death today, he is still remembered for his triumphant and conquering period of 40 years working at
ABC. 'Wide World of Sports' was famous and prevailing only because of Jim.
Another major event which he announced and became a part of was the 1972 Summer Olympics, which took place in Munich. He reported the Munich Massacre for 16 hours, without any break. He received enormous amount of appreciation and positive reception for his brilliant report on the same. Throughout the span of his career, he announced around 12 Olympic Games, Golf tournaments, and horse racing events. He is the one behind founding the celebrated and eminent racing event of Maryland, Maryland Million Day.
He married Margaret Dempsey in 1948 and the couple has two children. He won many awards for his commendable term as a
sports journalist. He was honored with George Polk Award and more than 12 Emmy Awards. His name was also inducted in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and Television Hall of Fame.
