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What can be said about Howard Cosell? I hope you’re old enough to remember his broadcasts. Below are some quotes by Cosell and by his peers.
Without me, the nature of the telecasts was entirely altered. I had commanded attention. I had a palpable impact on the show, giving it a sense of moment. If that sounds like ego, what can I say? I’m telling it like it is. - Howard Cosell Quote
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“He become a giant by the simple act of telling the truth in an industry that was not used to hearing it and considered it revolutionary. Every person working in sports journalism today owes a tremendous debt to Howard Cosell. His greatest contribution was elevating sports reporting out of daily play-by-play and placing it in the larger context of society.”
– Roone Arledge quote, ABC News president
Famous Howard Cosell Quotes
“Sports is the toy department of human life.”
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“Courage takes many forms. There is physical courage, there is moral courage. Then there is a still higher type of courage–the courage to brave pain, to live with it, to never let others know of it and to still find joy in life; to wake up in the morning with an enthusiasm for the day ahead.”
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“The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.”
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“What’s right isn’t always popular. What’s popular isn’t always right.”
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“Mommy, why does daddy cuss the TV and call it Howard?”
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“Joe Schmidt, he couldn’t motivate a frog,”
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“Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these. Of course, I am.”
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“I see nothing to sanctify any sports event.”
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“The man has a cash register where a heart should be.”
About Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley.
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“Look at that little monkey run.”
About wide receiver Alvin Garrett.
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“Boxing is the only sport in the world where the clear intention is for one person to inflict bodily harm upon the other person, mainly to the head where brain damage must ensue … I don’t think improvements or controls are the answer. I think the answer is abolition.”
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“Like President Reagan, he is a Teflon man. No matter how many mistakes he makes during a telecast, no matter how glaring his weaknesses as a performer, nothing sticks to him. The television critics, wooed by his smooth off-camera personality, generally rave about him, rarely taking him to task on purely objective standards.”
About colleague Frank Gifford.
Famous quotes by Howard Cosell’s peers:
“Howard Cosell was a good man and he lived a good life. I have been interviewed by many people, but I enjoyed interviews with Howard the best. We always put on a good show. I hope to meet him one day in the hereafter. I can hear Howard now saying, Muhammad, you’re not the man you used to be.’ I pray that he is in God’s hands. I will miss him.”
– Muhammed Ali
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“He rose to prominence during a time of drama and upheaval in sports. His style — part journalist, part carnival barker — made him unique.”
– NBC sportscaster Bob Costas
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“He was loud, boisterous and extreme, but he really got people’s attention and he was really bright.”
– Former tennis champion Billie Jean King
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“I used to kid him, You couldn’t diagram an end run,’ but he memorized the press guides, everything.”
– Sportscaster Curt Gowdy
