"There's one thing about this business: There is no place in it for talent. When others derided him, he defended himself loudly, which drew still more criticism from within the industry.
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Following a 1970 World Series broadcast, the broadcaster's limousine was rocked by angry Baltimore fans until he was rescued by the police.Ĭriticism hurt Cosell deeply, but his responses did little to win him sympathy.
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In the late 1970s, a TV Guide poll rated Cosell as both the favorite and most-disliked sportscaster of the day.īars began holding contests during Monday Night Football in which the winner had the honor of throwing a brick through a television with Cosell's face on it. ABC even tried Cosell as the host of his own variety series in 1975 however, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell only lasted for half a season. Among other appearances, Cosell was seen on the television series The Odd Couple, The Flip Wilson Show, and Laugh-In, and in the motion pictures Sleeper (1973) and The World's Greatest Athlete (1973). He acted as guest host on several popular programs, including The Dick Cavett Show and The Tonight Show. Cosell was all over the television and not just on sports programs.
They would scream, 'Howie, tell it like it is,'" Bonventre recalled in People. "You couldn't walk down the street anywhere with him and not have everybody know him-kids of 5 or 6 and little old ladies. In a few years Cosell was probably the most recognizable man in America, according to Cosell's former producer Peter Bonventre. It was also important in increasing the NFL's marketing edge over other sports, including major league baseball.Įmmy Award nomination from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Monday Night Football would go on to become the most successful show in prime-time history. Cosell commanded attention." Thus a new phenomenon was born. All those opinions, many harsh, all made at great volume in tones brooking no argument. According to Bruce Newman in Sports Illustrated, Cosell's role was "blowhard" and that "for 14 seasons Cosell amused, amazed, outraged, annoyed and attracted audiences, building the Monday-night broadcast into something that was often bigger than the game itself." Dave Kindred explained in Sporting News how Cosell had transformed the broadcast: "Then on MNF came Cosell.
The original Monday Night Football broadcasts featured play-by-play announcer Frank Gifford and color analyst Don Meredith, both former athletes, and Cosell. His presence drew a flood of hate mail from racist fans who despised his support of black athletes, but also increased the network's audience by 50 percent. When Roone Arledge made the daring move to broadcast NFL games in the evening, he chose Cosell as part of a three-man team of announcers.
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