1974 -Bill Stern

Sportscasting legend Bill Stern was born in Rochester, New York, on July 1, 1907. He is best known as the host of “The Colgate Sports Newsreel” and “Bill Stern Sports” which ran on NBC or ABC from 1937-1956. Stern’s career began in 1925 when he was hired by his local radio station WHAM/Rochester, to do play-play commentating of football games. Then in 1935, Stern was hired by NBC to be the host of “The Colgate Sports Newsreel,” and to broadcast Friday night boxing. During his career, Stern won nearly every award for sportscasting, and announced the first remote sports broadcast and the first televised Major League Baseball game. After many years with NBC, Stern moved to ABC where he stayed until he retired in 1956. After retiring from television broadcasting, he continued to broadcast on the radio with the Mutual Broadcasting System throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Stern died in 1971. He was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame on March 27, 1974.