Bob Costas

One of the most well known and respected announcers today, Bob Costas has the job any aspiring announcer dreams of. He has worked at NBC since 1980 and prior to that worked at St. Louis radio station KMOX. Costas has announced a wide array of sporting events. Before joining NBC, he announced play by play for the ABA's St. Louis Spirits, regional coverage of NFL football and NBA basketball, University of Missouri Basketball, and Chicago Bulls Basketball. At NBC his resume has included Major League Baseball, pregame for NFL Football, NBA Basketball and coverage of multiple Olympic Games. He has been around big time events in a big way, having been involved with Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals and the aforementioned Olympic Games. Costas also found time to host a late-night television show, "Later...With Bob Costas," that aired for five and a half years on NBC, and he hosted a weekly radio show "Costas Coast to Coast." In his years on the airwaves, Costas has accumulated an unparalleled number of awards and honors. He has picked up 11 Emmy Awards, eight of them as Outstanding Broadcaster, and been the recipient of the National Sportscaster of the Year award six times. At age 33, he won the Sportscaster of the Year award, becoming the youngest announcer ever to do so. Like predicting Michael Jordan will be in the Hall of Fame, some day years from now Bob Costas will be there too. Costas in a short period of time has announced so many big events bringing a special flavor to each and every one of them. When one thinks about Bob Costas, his style can not be described in a single word. The style he uses is a mixture of an incredible vocabulary, coupled with a way with words, impeccable timing and a memory we should all be so blessed with. He is able to mix in a quick anecdote or story at the perfect time, using a mix of style and precision that brings the viewer in for a ride. Costas spoke at Mickey Mantle's funeral, and spoke so emotionally and charismatically, that it was a moment many fans will never forget, a true tribute to Mantle. When Costas is on TV, he is truly an event within the event he is announcing. Some people would criticize that statement, saying the announcers job is only to tell what is going on, without any commentary or editorializing, but a person as gifted as Costas, able to speak in the manner in which he does, is a special announcer. When you turn on NBC for a big time event, you should assume Costas will be there, and lucky for sports fans, he should be there for many years to come.