Keith Jackson

Keith Jackson (born October 18, 1928) is an American former sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports television (40 years - 1966-2006), his coverage of college football (54 years - 1952-2006) as well as his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary and deep voice.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Keith Jackson was born on October 18, 1928 on a farm outside Carrollton, Georgia, near the Georgia-Alabama state line, where he grew up.^[2] The only surviving child in a poor family, he grew up listening to sports on the radio.^[2] After a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, he attended Washington State University under the G.I. Bill.^[3] Jackson began as a political science major, but he became interested in broadcasting.^[4] He graduated in 1954 with a degree in Speech Communications.^[5]

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, boxing, auto racing, the USFL, and the Olympic Games. He briefly worked college basketball with Dick Vitale.^[6] Jackson also served as the pregame/halftime/postgame anchor for ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII in 1988.

Early assignments

Jackson began his career as a broadcaster at Washington State 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.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[2]

Jackson helped Walter Cronkite cover the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco, California.^[7]

Professional football

In the early 1960s, Jackson covered American Football League games.^[2] 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.^[2] 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.^[9]

Jackson was the play-by-play announcer for the United States Football League broadcasts on ABC from 1983 to 1985. He was paired with Lynn Swann. He called all three championship games in the league's short history.

Olympic Games

Jackson was involved in the ABC coverage 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 to that of a greater international and historical news event.^[10] He covered a total of 10 Summer and Winter Olympic Games.^[7] 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. He covered basketball in 1984.^[9]

NBA

He was ABC's lead basketball play-by-play announcer with legendary NBA player Bill Russell for four years.^[9]

Wide World of Sports

Jackson was a regular part of ABC's popular Wide World of Sports (WWOS), covering both popular sports and obscure events like wrist wrestling.^[4] For WWOS he covered Evel Knievel's successful jump at Exhibition Stadium, in Toronto, Canada, on August 20, 1974;^[11] as well as his spectacular May 31, 1975 crash while attempting to jump over thirteen buses at London's Wembley Stadium, prompting Jackson to exclaim, "Oh my God!"^[12] 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.^[13]

Major League Baseball

In baseball, Keith Jackson called (alongside Tim McCarver) the now famous 16-inning long sixth game of the 1986 National League Championship Series between the New York Mets and Houston Astros.

College basketball

Starting in 1987, he was the lead ABC play-by-play announcer with legendary analyst Dick Vitale. This partnership lasted until 1992.^[9]

College football

For all his success, he received the most acclaim for his coverage of college football. He genuinely enjoyed the sport and the purity of it.^[9] 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.^[2]) 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-Southern Cal game.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[7] 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.^[14] 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.^[14]

During the mid-80's, 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.^[9]

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 the following sign-"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".

Jackson would call the 1972 Southern Cal Trojans the greatest team he ever saw.^[15] 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.^[16]

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 Baumam. 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^[17]. In addition to this, no sideline reporter was available to provide information on the cause of the unsportsmanlike penalties that occurred as a result^[18]. This led to accusations that Jackson was protecting Hayes, who was later fired for the incident.^[2]

Retirement

Jackson announced his first retirement from college football at the end of the 1998 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."^[4]

He rescinded this 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.^[19] ABC tried to lure Jackson to stay, but he made up his mind.^[1] 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.^[6] His last game call was the 2006 Rose Bowl featuring Texas vs. Southern Cal.

Awards and honors

In 1999, the National Football Foundation awarded Jackson the Gold Medal Award, its highest honor.^[20] 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".^[21] 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;^[22] 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.^[4] 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.^[10] 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."^[23] He was the first sports announcer to receive the Stagg award.^[7]

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".^[7] Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr described Jackson as "a symbol of all the good things in college football".^[7]

Film and television appearances

Jackson has had a minor career as an actor, 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", 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.

Personal

Jackson is a long-time resident of California. He and his wife Turi Ann, have three grown children and homes in the Los Angeles, California area and Pender Harbour, British Columbia, Canada.^[2]

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.^[24]

Notable broadcasts

1970s

• 1970 First Monday Night Football Game Browns beat the Jets
• 1971 Daytona 500 - Richard Petty won his 3rd Daytona 500.
• 1972 NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers won the title.
• 1972 Summer Olympics- U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz wins seven gold medals
• 1975 Indianapolis 500 - Bobby Unser won the race that was shortned by rain.
• 1976 Summer Olympics - Bruce Jenner wins the decathlon
• 1977 World Series - New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (including Reggie Jackson's 3 homers on 3 pitches).
• October 2, 1978: AL East Playoff - New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox (Bucky Dent's HR).
• December 29, 1978: Gator Bowl – Ohio State vs. Clemson (Woody Hayes' infamous last game)
• January 1, 1979: Sugar Bowl – #2 Alabama vs. #1 Penn State

1980s

• January 1, 1981: Sugar Bowl - #1 Georgia vs. #4 Notre Dame
• 1980 Winter Olympics - U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden wins five gold medals
• January 1, 1983: Sugar Bowl - #1 Georgia vs. #2 Penn State
• 1984 Summer Olympics - The USA basketball team, led by Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, wins gold
• October 27, 1984: West Virginia 17-No. 19 Penn State 14
• 1986 National League Championship Series - New York Mets vs. Houston Astros (Inc. 16 inn. Game 6)
• May 1987: NASCAR The Winston all-star race won by Dale Earnhardt
• December 5, 1987: NCAA Basketball, Indiana vs. Kentucky, Bank One/Big Four Classic (with Dick Vitale).
• November 26, 1988: #1 Notre Dame vs. #2 Southern Cal
• February 19, 1989: NCAA Basketball, Indiana Hoosiers vs. Michigan Wolverines. Jay Edwards' last second shot to beat Michigan (with Dick Vitale.)
• September 16, 1989: #1 Notre Dame vs. #2 Michigan.

1990s

• November 16, 1991: #2 Miami vs. #1 Florida State (a.k.a. "Wide Right I").
• January 1, 1992: Rose Bowl – #2 Washington vs. #3 Michigan (Washington won a split national championship)
• January 1, 1993: Sugar Bowl - #2 Alabama vs. #1 Miami
• September 24, 1994: Colorado at Michigan, the Westbrook Hail Mary game
• January 2, 1997: Sugar Bowl – #1 Florida State vs. #3 Florida for the national championship
• January 1, 1998: Rose Bowl – Michigan 21, Washington State 16 (With this game Michigan won a share of the 1997 National Championship)
• January 4, 1999: Fiesta Bowl – #1 Tennessee 23, #2 Florida State 16 in the first BCS National Championship Game

2000s

• January 4, 2002: Rose Bowl – Miami (FL) vs. Nebraska in 2002 BCS National Championship Game
• September 2, 2002: Auburn at Southern Cal
• November 30, 2002: Notre Dame at Southern Cal
• January 3, 2003: Fiesta Bowl – Miami (FL) vs. Ohio State in 2003 BCS National Championship Game
• November 22, 2003: Ohio State at Michigan
• November 28, 2003: Nebraska at Colorado
• September 11, 2004: Colorado State at Southern Cal
• October 30, 2004: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
• October 8, 2005: Oklahoma vs. Texas
• November 19, 2005: "The Big Game" (Stanford vs. California)
• December 29, 2005: Holiday Bowl - Oklahoma vs. Oregon
• January 4, 2006: Rose Bowl - Texas vs. Southern Cal in 2006 BCS National Championship Game

See also

United States Marine Corps portal

References

External links

• Big Man on Campus, interview from the Sporting News
• Keith Jackson ABC Bio