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Sports
Howard Cosell': How an Ambitious Brooklyn Lawyer
Became a Sports Broadcasting Icon
Published February 4, 2012 by Huntington News Net and February 5, 2012 by
Caribbean News Now!
Reviewed by Rene A. Henry
SEATTLE, Wash. – Howard Cosell. You either loved him or hated him. And some fans did both.
Author Mark Ribowsky does a marvelous job of telling the reader how Howard Cohen, an ambitious
Jewish lawyer in Brooklyn who was first interested in sports radio in the 1950s, became Howard Cosell and
one of the most important figures in American sports.
Ribowsky did extensive research and his book has nearly 30 pages of footnotes and bibliography that
document how committed Cosell was to his wife and daughters, his insecurity and insatiable need for
constant praise and recognition, his massive ego and alcoholism. The reader will see a little known side of
Howard Cosell such as being one of the youngest majors in the U.S. Army when he virtually ran the Port of
New York during World War II.
The author notes that at the height of his career Cosell had the highest Q rating in television and was
always at the top of the lists of America’s most known, most liked and most hated. He tells how Cosell
interacted with virtually every major sports figure during the last 40 years of the 20th Century and especially
his close relationship with Muhammad Ali.
Chapters tell of the on-screen jousting and behind-the-scenes fighting with Frank Gifford and Don
Meredith that made “Monday Night Football” one of the most watched and entertaining sports programs.
Cosell never broadcast a Super Bowl game.
“His legendary insecurity played a role in the resentment and suspicion he had for fellow broadcasters
and especially his fellow ABC broadcasters,” Ribowsky writes. His book says Cosell reveled in the crowds
he attracted walking on the streets of New York and how he craved being with A-list celebrities that included
Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, Woody Allen, Paul Anka, Karl Malden, John Lennon and Warren Beatty.
The book tells of his economic and ratings importance to ABC not only for “Monday Night Football” but
“Wide World of Sports” and boxing and why his drinking problem may have cost him the opportunity to be
on camera during the terror attack on Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Cosell always
fought anti-Semitism and racism and was a strong defender of the rights of many Black athletes.
One person quoted and cited more often than anyone else throughout the book was Jim Spence, who
Cosell reported to along with Roone Arledge. Spence was #2 to Arledge and at ABC for more than 25
years, the last eight as senior vice president of ABC Sports. Ribowsky liberally used material from Spence’
s 1988 book, “Up Close and Personal,” but never contacted Spence to talk with him.
“I had a terrific professional relationship and a very close, personal relationship with Howard,” Spence
told this book reviewer. “My wife and I had great times with Howard and Emmy and we often dined
together.
“He was amazing. During the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 Howard did his radio shows from our
television studio and as I recall he did four-minute pieces using a stopwatch and without notes or a script.
His commentaries were brilliant and right on the button timewise.
“Later in his career he underwent a metamorphosis and changed as a person,” Spence continued. “He
was one of the most intelligent individuals I ever met. He had everything going for him – a wife and family
he dearly loved, he was an extremely wealthy man, as successful as any sportscaster had ever been, and
better known than anyone in the history of American television sports. His caustic wit never changed, but he
became a very angry man and difficult to work with. It was difficult to comprehend why he lashed out at
everything and everyone was the enemy.
“I believe Howard felt he was under-appreciated and he was not happy as a fulfilled man would be.
Being the most famous sportscaster ever was not enough. He wanted to be more than a sportscaster,”
Spence told me. “He pressed Roone Arledge, when he also headed ABC News, to anchor the evening
network news. He talked about running for the U.S. Senate in New York. He had a sense of frustration
despite his enormous success.”
Since 2004 Spence has been teaching courses at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg,
Virginia. In the fall he teaches an undergraduate course in television sports and in the Spring, a shorter
version for the Christopher Wren Association directed at people over 55. He said he loves opening his
remarks to the seniors group by saying, “I am fully delighted to have people who have actually heard of
Howard Cosell in class.”
The first time I met Howard Cosell was in the mid-1960s when I was in New York on business and my
good friend Pete Kalison, who worked with him for five years at ABC, suggested we meet at the studio
before having dinner. Pete was going over details with Cosell prior to his local TV sports show and being
Saturday night, handed him a list of football scores. As the program started, Pete nudged me and said,
“Watch this.” Cosell started giving the scores and there was no teleprompter or cue cards. “He had a
photographic memory and could look at anything, read it, and then repeat it back to you word for word, not
just at that moment, but a year later. He never used written notes or references on the air. It was all off the
top of his head,” Kalison said.
After the show the three of us went across the street to Cosell’s favorite bar, Café Des Artistes, and little
did I realize I was having drinks with someone who would become one of our greatest legends in sports and
sports journalism.
“He never forgot a person’s name, even if they met just once for a few minutes,” said Kalison, who had
been in senior management with the New York Yankees before joining ABC and went on to a successful
career as an executive in the computer industry. “He knew the name of everyone who worked at ABC.
“One or two nights a week he would hold court at Café Des Artistes and the who’s who of sports would
come by and join him,” Kalison added. “This included Jackie Robinson, Vince Lombardi, Leo Durocher
and sportswriters Red Smith and Arthur Daley. He was one of the most fascinating people I have ever
known.”
Another good friend of mine, Shelly Saltman, interfaced with Cosell on many occasions. Saltman, who
was president of California Sports and later Fox Sports, worked many world championship boxing
matches. “At the Foreman-Frazier fight in 1971 in Jamaica he broadcast the fight for a 30-day delay and
groused that Roone Arledge, then president of ABC Sports, was wasting time and money because the fight
was a mismatch. It was Frazier’s first fight after beating Ali in Madison Square Garden and Foreman was a
proud, untested Olympic champion. Foreman knocked Frazier out in the second round and when the fight
was rebroadcast Cosell boasted how Arledge and his bosses at ABC had the intelligence to listen to him
and cover the momentous event.”
During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Saltman was Co-Commissioner of Boxing. “In the eyes of the
crews at ringside Howard was the ‘God of the Ring’ and he obnoxiously played the regal role to the hilt.
Whenever he would become too much we looked to his wife Emmy and she would calm him down,”
Saltman added. “He felt he knew everything, was pompous and took himself too seriously.”
In 1977 when I was a founding partner of ICPR, Los Angeles, one of our clients was the World Team
Tennis League which had just signed Björn Borg, then the #1 tennis player in the world. Bob Steiner, the
account executive arranged for a major press conference in New York at the “21” Club. He turned out the
crème de la crème of sports journalists and the room was full when Cosell made his grand entrance. Bob
looked at me and said, “Now we can start the press conference. He just made it a success!” Steiner went
on to be a senior executive for Jerry Buss at California Sports.
“I loved Howard Cosell, I grew up listening to his Sunday night radio show “Speaking of Everything” and
his coverage of Muhammad Ali and the Olympics,” said Greg Aiello, senior vice president of
communications for the National Football League. “His presence on “Monday Night Football” when it was
created signaled that it was a big deal. He was always interesting and entertaining.
“Early in my career when I was assistant public relations director of the Dallas Cowboys I attended
several ABC pre-production meetings,” Aiello continued. They didn’t last long and weren’t particularly
productive. Don Meredith would joke around and not pay much attention. Frank Gifford would ask a few
questions but then call you later to go into depth. And Howard would be Howard. I was sitting next to him at
one meeting and out of nowhere he turned to me and said ‘You’re too big for this.’ I may have been 30
years old at the time. I thought it was very funny and certainly a moment that you remember from a legend
like him.”
As part of his research Ribowsky interviewed a dozen or more people. I was surprised that he did not
contact Jim Spence, Shelly Saltman and Greg Aiello or anyone at the NFL so through his publicist I asked
“Why” and was told that the author was “too busy” to respond to my question. I then asked myself if his
research was as thorough as I thought.
Howard Cosell died in 1995 but could be just the leader that the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate
Sports needs to bring the skyrocketing costs of college football under control. He would tell it like it is. One
appropriate Cosellism is “The importance that our society attaches to sport is incredible. After all, is
football a game or a religion? The people of this country have allowed sports to get completely out of hand.”
The book cites how Frank Deford, distinguished Hall of Fame sports journalist, once described Cosell:
“Cosell isn’t television. He’s not audio. Howard Cosell is sports in our time. Feel sorry for the people who
turned off the sound. The poor b*******s missed the game.”
I recommend the book for all sports fans.
Selected Op/Eds and Commentaries
To access any of the following, click on the headline ...
Book Review: "Howard Cosell"" How An Ambitious Brooklyn Lawyer Became A Sports Broadcasting Icon,
published February 4, 2012 by Huntington News Network and February 5 by Caribbean News Now!
Howard Cosell. You either loved him or hated him. And some fans did both. Author Mark Ribowsky does a
marvelous job of telling the reader how Howard Cohen, an ambitious Jewish lawyer in Brooklyn who was
first interested in sports radio in the 1950s, became Howard Cosell and one of the most important figures in
American sports. ...
Madison Square Garden - Basketball's Capital, published March 7 by Huntington News Network
It's basketball tournament time and teams are competing in arenas throughout the country hoping in a few weeks to
be crowned the 2011 National Collegiate Athletic Association champion. In a by-gone era ...
How Many Players Does A Football Team Need?, published July 13, 2010 by Huntington News Network
Coaches and administrators who believe a college football team must have 120 players and 85 scholarships should
take a look at the successful winning and competitive team fielded by William & Mary in 1953 with only 24 players.
That season W&M posted a 5-4-1 record with a team that could not even scrimmage because one of the players was
a 118-pound placekicker. Head coach Jackie Freeman’s team lost only once in its first six games. W&M posted wins
over Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Richmond and George Washington and tied a nationally-
ranked Navy team. ...
My Friend Don Smith
My friend Don Smith was a remarkable, multitalented individual. Anyone who knew him will miss his passing.
Will Greed Kill College Sports?, June 21, Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter and Huntington News Network
Will the greed for money kill college sports? Colleges and universities have an insatiable appetite for
money these days and to feed this frenzy presidents are ignoring loyalty and years of relationships and are
ready to rip apart athletic conferences. ...
My Friend Sam Huff, the Coal Miner's Son, April 10, Huntington News Network
Sam Huff and I have been good friends since 1954. If he had not been a great football player, we would have never
met. He was the first person in his family who did not work in the coal mines and who graduated from college. I am so
glad he chose the career he did. ...
Remembering Fred Schaus, February 12 by Huntington News Network, February 14 by the Mountaineer
Sports Network and February 15 by The Charleston Gazette
When Fred Schaus passed away Wednesday evening, West Virginia lost one of its truly great leaders of sport. He
set WVU basketball scoring records playing on the great teams from 1946 to 1949. Following an outstanding
professional career, he returned to be the Mountaineers’ winningest basketball coach. And when called back to be
athletic director, he turned around a bankrupt department and took the WVU athletic program to a new championship
level. ...
Retiring Hot Rod Hundley's #33, January 21 by Huntington News Network, January 22 Charleston (W.Va.)
Gazette
More than a half century after he played his last game for the Mountaineers, West Virginia University will retire Hot
Rod Hundley’s #33 during Saturday afternoon’s nationally-televised basketball game against Ohio State. ...
WVU-Marshall basketball game rich in history, January 17 Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette and January 19 by
Huntington News Network
When Marshall and Wet Virginia meet Wednesday night at the Charleston Civic Center as part of the Chesapeake
Energy Classic, it will be the 37th basketball game between the two universities. Both institutions have been an
important part of the state's sports history. ...
Honoring the Greats, May 2009, special for the magazine and website of the College Sports Information
Directors Association (CoSIDA)
Most colleges and universities do a terrific job honoring those who have made significant contributions to their
athletic programs. And generally the SID is at the center of it all, working with the various selection committees and
then in making the public announcements. Former athletes, coaches, and administrators ...
Build Relations With Former SIDs and Staff, January 2009, special for the magazine and website of the
College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA)
The office of sports information is the most overworked and underfunded of any in the athletic department. And, it is
the only office that serves not only every sports, but every constituent - coaches, players, administrators, students,
faculty, fans and the media. ...
SIDs Can Help Rewin the Public's Support of Hi-Ed, April 2009, special for the magazine and website of the
College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA)
Colleges and universities are suffering one of their worst financial crises. And, SIDs can help. Institutions need to
rewin the public's support of higher education and send a message to state legislatures. Sport is one of the most
powerful of all marketing and promotion tools and encompasses all demographics. ...
March Madness, No ... 80-Year Olds Playing Basketball? Yes!, published by Huntington News Network, March
2, 2009
At an age when many octogenarians are using canes, walkers or even motorized scooters to get around, can you
imagine six men in their 80s playing 3-on-3 half court basketball? Or even remembering their positions on the court
or who is on their team! This could truly be madness, but not this month. ...
Time for WVU to retire Hundley, Bosley numbers, published by the Charleston Gazette, January 6, 2009
With all of the excitement about Pat White ending his glorious Mountaineer career with a record-setting fourth bowl
win, fans calling for his number to be retired will have to wait. A long time. Maybe until 2060. ...
COMMENTARY: It's Time for WVU to Retire Numbers of Hundley, Bosley, published by Huntington News
Network, January 5, 2009
It's time for WVU to retire the numbers of Hot Rod Hundley (33) and Bruce Bosley (77) ...
The Best Sports Stories Never Seem to Get Told, published by Huntington News Network, December 29, 2008
All too often some of the best sports stories never get told. They are about the personal lives of athletes, coaches
and managers. Their names would be in headlines on Page One if any ever get in trouble and are arrested. But not
when they are champions doing good things for society. ...
College Sports Out of Control–Blame the University Presidents, published by Huntington News Network,
December 18, 2007
A quick look at the athletic department budgets of many colleges and universities, and the salaries being paid to
football and basketball coaches, you would think you were reviewing the financial statement of a Fortune 500
company. The cost of running sports programs at major colleges and universities is spiraling completely out of
control and needs to be brought back to reality. If the same rules are applied to all, there will be a level playing field
and costs can be reduced for all across-the-board....
Sport Wins Again Over Politics, published by Huntington News Network, August 1, 2007
Last week when the Iraq national soccer team defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 to win its first Asian Cup football
championship it again proved that sport wins where politicians and diplomacy fails. The players, who were Sunnis,
Shiites and Kurds, combined their athletic talents as a team to give a sense of tremendous national pride to all
Iraqis. Too bad this teamwork can’t carry over to the political and religious leaders of the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds
to bring peace to and rebuild their country. ...
U.S. Politicians: Keep Hands Off International Sports, published by Huntington News Network, May 30, 2006
They're at it again! Will they ever learn that U.S. politicians must stay out of international sports? The governing
bodies of Olympic and international sports have enough political problems of their own. They don't need unwelcome
interference by our politicians. Yet, now a wannabe Senator from the state of Washington has launched a campaign
to bar Iran from this year's soccer World Cup. ...
Politics and Bad Decisions In Olympic Will Never End, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, February 18, 2002
The decision this week by five Olympic figure skating judges outraged people throughout most of the world. It was
obvious to all but those five that Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier won the Olympic gold medal ...
March Madness - A New Crisis For College Campuses, first published on the BigTenU.com website and widely
cited and quoted by numerous publications since.
"March Madness" is giving colleges and universities a new crisis to worry about. But this "March Madness" has none
of the sports clichés of the NCAA basketball tournament. Violence, destructions, vandalism, rioting, and
drunkenness have replaced "Big Dance," "Sweet Sixteen" and "Final Four." ...
Professional and College Sports Criticized For Greed, speech November 11, 2001 before the Norfolk (Virginia)
Sports Club
Coaches, owners or professional teams, and college presidents who allow athletes to abuse women, drugs,
alcohol and society's rules were criticized here today ...
Bush Must Let Cuba Play, Caribbean Net News, Huntington News Network, December 17, 2005
The Bush Administration committed another serious diplomatic faux pas when it announced Cuba could not compete
in this year's inaugural World Baseball Classic. Normally the State Department is responsible for embarrassing U.S.
citizens worldwide; this time it was the Treasury Department....
A $32 Million College Football Coach? Outrageous!, published by Huntington News Network, January 6, 2007
The University of Alabama just spent $32 million to hire a football coach! A college football coach. Yes, that’s correct.
And at a public university supported by the by the taxpayers of Alabama. ...
Colleges and Universities Miss Opportunities for Public Support, published by bigtenu.org, March 2003
Selling higher education should be a major responsibility of the NCAA because if it were not for higher education,
there would be no need for an NCAA. Millions of dollars of free advertising and exposure are wasted by not taking
advantage of opportunities during the annual "March Madness" basketball tournament.
Reports from China - The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The following reports were published by Huntington News Net and Caribbean Net News and republished by
many of the newspapers, radio and TV stations and cable TV stations served by these agencies.
An American's Touch on the Beijing Olympics (February 27, 2008 by Huntington News Net and February 29,
2008 by Caribbean Net News)
Jeff Ruffolo has an enviable position. He is the only American working in media relations along with more than 2,000
Chinese for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Some could call his job an
overwhelming challenge....
Beijing 2008 - Going for the Gold or Not? (first in a series, August 29, 2007)
On August 8, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., China will showcase itself to the world. The people throughout the world will be
watching the Olympic Games may be the biggest audience ever including network television, cable television, pay
television and Internet. ...
Beijing Cleaning the Air for the Olympic Games (second in a series, August 30, 2007)
Smog is in the air throughout China. This coal rich nation is opening a new coal-fueled electric generating plant
every four days. That means that nearly 100 more will be built throughout the country before the opening of the
Olympic Games next summer.
New Venues, Food Safety and Security Schedule for Beijing Olympic Games (third in a series, August 31,
2007)
Organizers of the 2008 Olympic Games next summer in Beijing are making every effort to accommodate the needs of
athletes with new technologies in the venues, control on food safety and security. Nearly 11,000 athletes are
expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports in 37 competition venues and 56 training venues. ...
Fake Olympic Merchandise Big Seller In China (fourth in a series, September 1, 2007)
The last place you would expect to find fake and counterfeit Olympic merchandise would be in China. Yet
everywhere you go in this country, street vendors rush you selling caps, T-shirts and other memorabilia with the logo
of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. For years China has been known as the place to buy
fake Rolex and Omega watches and counterfeit Louis Vuitton and Gucci products. In recent years intellectual
property attorneys from around the world ...
Beijing Snubs Sister City Los Angeles (fifth in a series, September 2, 2007)
Beijing and Los Angeles have been sister cities for nearly 30 years and have much in common. The automobile
plays a major role in the culture of both cities. Both have air pollution problems. And both have outstanding
museums, culture, sports and entertainment centers. ...
Manners and Pride Are Important for China (sixth in a series, September 11, 2007)
There is an epidemic of national pride for the 2008 Olympic Games everywhere in China. While the Games in Beijing
are less than 11 months away, everyone you meet is proud that China will showcase its country, people, culture and
history to what will be the largest television audience in Olympics history. ...
The following commentaries were written exclusively and published by Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter, the
leading publication covering the public relations profession and media.
His "Perfect" PR Job: An American in Beijing (February 27, 2008)
Many of us can spend an entire career in PR and never have what we would call "our perfect job." Jeff Ruffolo is one
lucky person. He just turned 50 this year and says he now has "his perfect job." Ruffolo is the only American ...
Beijing OIympic Organizers Undertaking Major PR Campaign To Change People's Behavior, Image (September
27, 2007)
Organization psychologists will tell you that changing attitudinal behavior is one of the most challenging, if not almost
impossible of tasks. But the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games is undertaking an aggressive
and comprehensive integrated marketing public relations campaign to do just that. ...
Beijing Olympic Organizers Get Failing Grades for PR (August 29, 2007)
On August 8, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., China will showcase itself to the world. It may be the largest TV audience ever in
Olympic Games history including network and cable TV and Internet. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the
Olympic Games has spent $60 billion (yes, "b" billion) on the Games, four times what any other organizing committee
has ever spent. By comparison, Los Angeles in 1984 spent $250 million ("m" for millions). ...
Beijing Olympic Committee Needs to Learn Western PR (September 1, 2007)
Only recently and because of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing has the Chinese government lifted travel and
interview restrictions on Western media. Before, Western journalists could not travel in many areas of the country
with clearance from the government and had to be cleared with special visas before anyone was allowed to talk with
them and be interviewed. Public relations also is a new game in China and especially for the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Olympic Games. ...
"Country Roads" in Xi'an, China (September 18, 2007)
The last place in the world I would expect to hear people singing "Country Roads" would be here in this historic city
and the first capital of China. But it happened yesterday ...Published by Caribbean Net News, October 28 and
Huntington News Network, October 29, 2009