Olympics on ABC commentators
Hosts
Winter Olympic Games
| Year | Prime-Time Host | Daytime Host(s) | Late-Night Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 Winter | Jim McKay[1] | ||
| 1968 Winter | Chris Schenkel Jim McKay [lower-alpha 1] |
||
| 1976 Winter | Jim McKay[2] | ||
| 1980 Winter | Jim McKay | ||
| 1984 Winter | Jim McKay | Jim Lampley Kathleen Sullivan |
Donna de Varona |
| 1988 Winter | Jim McKay[3] Keith Jackson [lower-alpha 2] |
Keith Jackson | Frank Gifford Kathie Lee Gifford |
Summer Olympic Games
| Year | Prime-Time Host | Daytime Host(s) | Late-Night Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Chris Schenkel | ||
| 1972 | Chris Schenkel | ||
| 1976 | Jim McKay[1] | ||
| 1984 | Jim McKay | Frank Gifford Kathleen Sullivan |
Jim Lampley Donna de Varona |
By event
1964
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Skiing | Jim McKay | Andrea Mead Lawrence Willy Schaeffler |
| Figure Skating | Dick Button | Carol Heiss |
| Bobsled | Stan Benham |
1968
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Skiing | Jim McKay | |
| Figure Skating | Chris Schenkel | Dick Button |
| Hockey | Curt Gowdy | |
| Ski Jumping | Art Devlin |
1976
| Features | Jim Lampley Pierre Salinger |
|---|
1980[4][5]
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators | Reporters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Ceremony | Jim McKay | ||
| Figure Skating | Jim McKay | Dick Button | |
| Speed Skating | Keith Jackson | Sheila Young Ochowitz | |
| Hockey | Al Michaels | Ken Dryden | |
| Skiing | Frank Gifford | Bob Beattie Susie Patterson | |
| Bobsled | Curt Gowdy | Paul Lamey | Jackie Stewart |
| Cross Country | Bill Flemming | Peter Graves | |
| Ski Jumping | Chris Schenkel | Art Devlin | |
| Luge | Curt Gowdy | Bill Caterino | |
| Closing Ceremony | Jim McKay |
| Features | Jim Lampley Don Meredith |
|---|
1984
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators | Reporters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsled | Tim Brant | John Morgan | |
| Ski Jumping | Keith Jackson | Jay Rand | |
| Cross Country | Jack Whitaker | Jack Turner | Diana Nyad |
| Alpine Skiing | Frank Gifford Jim Lampley (women's downhill) |
Bob Beattie Cindy Nelson (women's downhill) | |
| Luge | Sam Posey | Jeff Tucker | |
| Figure Skating | Al Michaels | Peggy Fleming and Dick Button | |
| Ice Hockey | Al Michaels Don Chevrier |
Ken Dryden Mike Eruzione | |
| Speed Skating | Keith Jackson Don Chevrier (men's 5000) |
Eric Heiden |
| Features | Hughes Rudd Ray Gandolf Jim Lampley Dick Schaap Anne Simon Terre Blair Barbara Kolonay |
|---|
1988
| Features | Donna de Varona Becky Dixon Jim Hill Tim McCarver Jack Whitaker (essayist) Dan Dierdorf Cheryl Miller |
|---|
1972
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Ceremony | Jim McKay | |
| Track & Field | Jim McKay | Bill Toomey (400m races) Marty Liquori (150m and 800m races) Erich Segal (marathon) |
| Swimming | Keith Jackson | |
| Diving | Bill Flemming | Ken Sitzberger (men) Micki King (women) |
| Basketball | Frank Gifford[6] Bill Flemming (filled in for Gifford while he did wrestling) |
Bill Russell |
| Gymnastics | Jim McKay | Gordon Maddux |
| Boxing | Howard Cosell | |
| Wrestling | Frank Gifford |
1976
| Event | Play-by-play | Color commentators |
|---|---|---|
| Track & Field | Keith Jackson | O. J. Simpson Bob Seagren Brian Oldfield Marty Liquori (men) Wyomia Tyus (women) |
| Swimming | Keith Jackson | Mark Spitz (men) Donna de Varona (women) |
| Diving | Bill Flemming | Ken Sitzberger (men) Micki King (women) |
| Basketball | Frank Gifford Curt Gowdy |
Bill Russell |
| Gymnastics | Chris Schenkel | Gordon Maddux (men) Cathy Rigby (women) |
| Boxing | Howard Cosell | |
| Wrestling | Frank Gifford | Ken Kraft |
| Equestrian | Chris Schenkel Jackie Stewart (Filled in for Schenkel when he covered Gymnastics.) |
Bill Steinkraus |
| Rowing | Frank Gifford | Fritz Hobbs |
| Features | Pierre Salinger Jim Lampley Dave Diles |
|---|
1984
Notes
- Jim McKay hosted opening and closing ceremonies only, Chris Schenkel hosted the Olympics.
- Jim McKay hosted Monday to Friday, Keith Jackson hosted weekends.
References
- Gallant, Joseph. "The World Comes Together in Your Living Room: The Olympics on TV". TV Broadcasting History - Various Articles.
- Eldridge, Larry (June 8, 2008). "FROM OUR FILES: A true pro at the Olympics: TV host Jim McKay". The Christian Science Monitor.
- Jim McKay
- The Palm Beach Post - Feb 8, 1980
- Boca Raton News - Feb 8, 1980
- Hagger, Jeff (August 31, 2012). "Observations on the ABC coverage of 1972 Olympic basketball". Classic TV Sports.
- He was relegated to near obscurity at the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles, covering only the snippets of basketball that ABC presented.
- "GAMES OF THE XXIII OLYMPIAD, THE {1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS} {1984/08/07}, PART 4: TENNIS (MEN) (TV)". The Paley Center for Media.
- "GAMES OF THE XXIII OLYMPIAD, THE {1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS} {1984/08/06}, PART 1: FENCING (MEN), WEIGHTLIFTING (MEN) (TV)". The Paley Center of Media.
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