Jack Whitaker

Jack Whitaker

:"For people named Jack Whittaker (with two "t"s), see Jack Whittaker."Jack Whitaker (born May 18, 1924) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an award-winning American sportscaster who worked for both CBS and ABC.

Early life and career

After graduating from Northeast Catholic High School, in 1943 and Saint Joseph's University in 1947, Whitaker began his broadcasting career in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1950, he moved to WCAU where he did play-by-play for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants of the National Football League.

CBS Sports

He entered network sports in 1961 at CBS, where he hosted the anthology series "CBS Sports Spectacular" among other duties. He worked for CBS for more than two decades. Whitaker is probably best remembered for his coverage of golf and horse racing. He covered thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown Events, golf's four major championships, the very first Super Bowl, championship boxing, NASL soccer and Major League Baseball. He was a studio host for "The NFL Today" at CBS, the network's pre-game show.

The Whitaker character, played by Gary McKillips, appears in the June 2007 ESPN Original Entertainment production "Ruffian". The film is based upon the storied 1975 match race between unbeaten filly Ruffian and Kentucky Derby-winning colt Foolish Pleasure. Ruffian broke her leg during the race and was later euthanized. The Whitaker character is shown introducing the race in the paddock area of Belmont Park in New York.

While Whitaker is best known as a sportscaster, he was also a game show host. In the summer of 1966, he hosted "The Face is Familiar", a celebrity panel show for CBS.

In the latter part of his career, Whitaker has moved away from play-by-play or color commentary, and has become known for his essays at major sporting events.

ABC Sports and ABC News

Moving to ABC in 1982, Whitaker served as a reporter for both news and sports divisions. He was a part of ABC's sports team at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympic Games. He has also reported sports for ABC's "World News Tonight, Nightline," and "20/20."

Honors

Whitaker won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality in 1979 and received the Maryland Jockey Club's Hilltop Award for outstanding coverage of thoroughbred racing. He was named "Best Announcer" by Sports Illustrated in 1976. In 1997 he was named to the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame, in 2001 he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in Salisbury, North Carolina and in 2005 he was inducted into the Saint Joseph's University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Whitaker has a bowling center named for him and fellow broadcaster John Facenda. Facenda-Whitaker Lanes is located in East Norriton, Pennsylvania, and was named for Facenda and Whitaker in 1959, when the two were broadcasting news and sports, respectively, at WCAU. It is not clear whether or not either Facenda or Whitaker had any ownership interest in the center.

See also

* List of NFL on CBS commentator pairings

External links

* [http://www.americansportscasters.com/whitaker.html American Sportscasters Association bio of Whitaker]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box | before=Frank Gifford| title="The NFL Today" host | years=1971-1974 | after=Brent Musburger


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Whitaker — may refer to:Peopleurname* Alexander Whitaker (1585–1616), American religious leader * Benjamin Whitaker, British Labour Party politician * Brian Whitaker, British journalist * Carl Whitaker (family therapist), American therapist * Chico Whitaker …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Whittaker — may refer to:*Jack Whittaker (lottery winner) (born c. 1947) *Jack Whittaker (Canadian politician)ee also*Jack Whitaker (born 1924) …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Nicholson — au Festival de Cannes 2002. Données clés Nom de naissance John Jos …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack Lemmon — aux Grammy Awards 1988. Données clés Naissance 8&# …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack Sharkey — Fiche d’identité Nom complet Joseph Paul Zukauskas Surnom Boston Gob Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack Straw (homme politique) — Jack Straw Nom de naissance John Whitaker Straw Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack straw (homme politique) — Jack Straw Nom de naissance John Whitaker Straw …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack Straw — John Whitaker „Jack“ Straw (* 3. August 1946 in Buckhurst Hill, Essex) ist ein britischer Politiker der Labour Party. Von Juni 2007 bis Mai 2010 war er Lordkanzler und Justizminister in der Regierung von Gordon Brown. Straw ist seit 1979… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jack Straw (homonymie) — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Personnalités John Whitaker Jack Straw (John Whitaker Straw), ancien ministre des affaires étrangères britannique, actuellement président de la chambre… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack straw (homonymie) — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Personnalités John Whitaker Jack Straw (John Whitaker Straw), ancien ministre des affaires étrangères britannique, actuellement président de la chambre… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”