Chris Schenkel has passed away

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I used to listen Chris Schenkel in my youth when he did NY Giants games. I have always liked him.

RIP - Chris Schenkel.



wil.
 

Pump n Dump
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Did he do Bowling telecasts too on ABC? Im not sure if that's the guy Im thinking of or not.
 

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RIP- I always enjoyed him as a kid when he did the PBA Tour (of all things), he seemed to be one of the nicest guys around.
 

I am sorry for using the "R" word - and NOTHING EL
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i grew up watching him and Nelson Burton doing bowling

he will be missed
 

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Chris Schenkel, an Indiana icon and one of the founding fathers of sports broadcast journalism, died early today at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., after a long battle with emphysema. He was 82.

Schenkel's radio and television broadcasting career spanned more than 60 years and included virtually every major sports competition.

Known for his honey-smooth baritone voice, he was the first to cover the Masters Tournament on television, in 1956; the first to call a college football game coast to coast on ABC; and the first to serve as live sports anchor from the Olympics, in Mexico City in 1968.

Other highlights include calling gymnast Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and calling the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants, considered by many the greatest football game ever played. He was also the longtime voice of the Professional Bowlers Association.

Schenkel also had a long association with the Indianapolis 500, including a scary moment. Schenkel, astronaut John Glenn and Tony Hulman, the late owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, were passengers in the Dodge Challenger pace car at the 1971 race when it skidded into a bleacher section full of photographers. Twenty-two people were injured, including Schenkel.

Schenkel was born Aug. 21, 1923, on a farm in Wabash County, one of six children. His parents, second generation German immigrants, managed a grain and feed business.

He attended Bippus High School in Huntington County and later Purdue University.

He fought in World War II in the Philippines, then Korea, as an infantry platoon leader. He came home to find a radio job in Richmond, Ind., then moved into television in Providence, R.I.

In 1947, he assumed television play-by-play duties for Harvard University football. Five years later, he began a 13-year run as the TV voice of the New York Giants.

His many honors include honorary doctorate degrees from Purdue, Ball State and Rose-Hulman Institute. He has been inducted into 16 halls of fame, including the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters and College and Pro Football halls, and he won an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1993.

Recently 50 letters were sent to President Bush nominating Schenkel for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Among those sending letters were Indiana senator Richard Lugar, former Indiana senator Birch Bayh, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight and golfing legend Byron Nelson.

Last summer longtime broadcasting partner Jim McKay said, "Chris is one of the friendliest, nicest people you would meet anywhere. He likes people. He loves people. He's very forgiving about people even if anything happens in a bad way."

Schenkel is survived by his wife, Fran, sons Ted and John, daughter Tina, and several grandchildren.

IndyStar.com
 

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I remember him doing the College Football scoreboard show for ABC and he also did alot of work for ABC wide world of sports doing the rodeos and cliff diving.

RIP
Chris
 

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