Colin Cosell Interview with Sports Radio Host Evan Makovsky - Pro Football Hall of Fame

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• published: 21 Jan 2012
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Howard Cosell: "To voices what the Grand Canyon is to ditches.... " -- Dave Kindred, Sports Journalist, author Whether revered or reviled, Howard Cosell was just as good at creating an audience as he was at alienating it, and that was just what professional football needed. It's time for the late Howard Cosell, and devoted NFL football fans to see Howard Cosell receive proper recognition in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio in return for his contributions to the game of professional football. "Howard Cosell was Monday Night Football. Without Howard Cosell, there was no Monday Night Football." - Director MNF, Chet Forte Cosell was an iconic combination of pioneering sports journalist, color commentator and broadcast legend. True sports enthusiasts remember Howard Cosell for many different reasons. To some Cosell is remembered for his notable commentary reporting directly from the Olympic Village in Munich during the "Black September" murders in 1972, for others it was covering Muhammad Ali and the world of boxing at large, and still others for Cosell's interviewing John Lennon of the Beatles during a MNF game on December 9th, 1974, and almost exactly six years later, sadly announcing Lennon's death during another MNF game on December 8th, 1980. The exciting manner with which Cosell delivered his weekly "Halftime Highlights" recap of Sunday's games from the day before is still viewed with reverence in the sports broadcasting industry today. Hollywood actors and actresses, governors, and Presidents would seek out Cosell in the ABC broadcast booth just for an interview. Who else but Cosell had interviews with the great NFL players and coaches like Roger Staubach, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Fran Tarkenton, Franco Harris, O.J. Simpson, Don Shula, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and many others. It was over thirty years ago that John Lennon of the Beatles rock band was shot dead in front of his Manhattan apartment on December 8th, 1980. Howard Cosell announced it at the end of the Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins scored on the first possession of overtime to win 16-13. "Remember, this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses," Cosell told TV viewers. "An unspeakable tragedy, confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous, perhaps, of all the Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead ... on ... arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash, which in duty bound, we have to take." --HOWARD COSELL "Howard Cosell was Monday Night Football. Without Howard Cosell, there was no Monday Night Football." -- Chet Forte, former Director of ABC Monday Night Football "No one has had a greater impact on sports-casting and television sports journalism." -- George Steinbrenner, N.Y. Yankees "When the complete book on sports-casting in the 20th Century is composed, Howard Cosell has earned the longest chapter. His influence in sports-casting has been profound." -- Sportscaster, Dick Enberg There's no question that Howard Cosell was the most important sports journalist of our time, and because so much of what he did transcended sports, he was one of the most important journalists... period." -- Sports Journalist, SportsWorld Magazine, Robert Lipsyte "I remember him as someone who was an important journalistic figure, and I think to deny that is to let your prejudices get in the way." -- Author, Frank Deford "He became a giant by the simple act of telling the truth in an industry that was not used to hearing it and considered it revolutionary." -- Monday Night Football Creator and former President of ABC Sports, Roone Arledge Howard was a true original. He rose like a screeching comet and left a trail that no modern broadcaster has ever dared to follow. There will never be another like him. -- NFL Films, Steve Sabol "I did not, and do not, take exception to anything he said about me in the broadcast. Matter of fact, I am pleased that he singled me out for such favorable attention." -- Washington Redskins wide-receiver, Alvin Garrett "Howard Cosell was a good man and he lived a good life. I have been interviewed by many people, but I enjoyed interviews with Howard the best. We always put on a good show. I hope to meet him one day in the hereafter. I can hear Howard now saying, Muhammad, you're not the man you used to be. I pray that he is in God's hands. I will miss him." -- Former heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali  Audio courtesy of 1380 AM Radio, St. Louis, MO