April 29, 1961 – It was the beginning of the “Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat,” as ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” made its historic debut. This iconic program generally shown on the network on Saturday afternoon exposed Americans to athletic events in some cases we had never witnessed before.
Skiing, boxing, bowling, Rattlesnake hunting, Harlem Globetrotter basketball and who could forget Evel Knievel jumping cars, buses and canyons.
The announcers were legendary, led by the main host Jim McKay with appearances by Howard Cosel, Frank Gifford, Jim Simpson and so many more!
Wide World of Sports was the creation of Edgar Scherick through his company, Sports Programs, Inc. After selling his company to ABC, he hired a young Roone Arledge to produce the show and it hit new heights.
Unfortunately with sports becoming a 24-7 event with the advent of cable channels, the luster of the Saturday afternoon program lost the interest of the viewing public.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
