You might've love him, you might've hated him, but you always watched him just to see what he was gonna say! I loved Howard! He was funny and he didn't pull a punch!!
As a kid in the 70's, his back and forth with Ali, Monday night football, halftime highlights, all the boxing matches, i actually missed him when he left ABC and retired for good.
It is always so impressive to me when I listen to people like Howard, like Bob Costas , like Dick Energy whom have such great command of the English language and the oft never used words they pepper their commentary with. I could listen to them for as long as they want to talk and about any subject they choose. Legends all
Same here buddy, I miss him too. Many good memories of me and my daddy watching sports with him growing up. A different time. You hit it on the head. Thank you very much 😊
This documentary was outstanding in emphasizing how Howard Cosell evolved from a lawyer into a monumental sportscaster. Telling it like is didn’t turn out to to so bad at all! May he RIP
In my elementary school years in the 70’s my big brother and I would watch Monday night football every week. The best part was always Howard doing the half time highlights. Legendary! Also the best decade of football.
There will never be another time than the advent of Monday Night Football. It was a unique event that everyone looked forward to. You couldn't see the highlights anywhere else. I believe there were only two NFL games offered on a Sunday. Just the 1pm and 4pm. There wasn't two games broadcast at 1pm on competing networks. At that time it was CBS/NBC. No Sunday Night, No Thursday Night. Two games on Thanksgiving. There were 14 regular season games and if you could believe it, 6 pre-season games. The public was clamoring for more football and that made MNF a success and Howard Cosell was a huge reason why.The Dallas Cowboys were on quite a bit and the cameras spent a lot of time on the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. With their loose tops, well let's just say there were guys in bars and at home rooting for wardrobe malfunctions. Roone Arledge wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what drew eyeballs to the TV so ABC made sure the Cowboys were featured in home games as much as possible.
@@vpking77 You're right. I didn't start watching Monday night football until I was 10(1978)and the NFL went to a 16 game(4 preseason)schedule. But it was the same way TV wise. You still had NO Thursday nights, 2 Thanksgiving games, NBC and CBS on Sundays. On very rare occasions, there was Sunday night football on ABC. Like today, when the college football regular season ends, The NFL will televise SAT games. Very few people had cable so the big 3 networks was all you got. That changed for me when my family got cable in OCT '81 and i started watching Inside the NFL on HBO(no more halftime highlights). 🏈😁🏈
I remember the time Cosell was interviewing Sammy Davis Jr. at ringside before an Ali fight in Las Vegas, and Howard asks, "Sammy, how do you see this fight?" "With my one good eye," replied Sammy. Cosell was speechless.
How I miss half-time highlights. Always will remember the death of John Lennon. Thanks to this man. R.I.P. Howard, Dandy Don, Frank Gifford. NFL now sucks anyway.
One of my favorite Dandy Don quotes was Merideth speaking to Howard during a MNF game. Howard had just made some observation during the game and Merideth said, " Howard, you have a firm grasp of the obvious".
In 1973 I was a student and artist at Babson College near Boston. We had a symposium on the Business of Football and Howard was the keynote speaker. I'd sketched a rough caricature of Howard, and my friends were egging me to get him to autograph it. We were seated in the front row, and as he strode into the hall surrounded by TV cameras, I jumped up and blurted out, "Mr. Cosell, would you sign this?" Howard looked down at me as I held out my drawing. He took it from my hand, held it up for the TV cameras and remarked, "Well, what kind of CRAP is this?" Then he smiled at me and signed his autograph. I still have it.
Like most of these comments essentially state, Howard was one of the many voices / personalities of my childhood. Still remember exactly what I was doing when he announced Lennon was gunned down. I was 10… Definitely missed in these times.
My favorite Howard C. Moment was when during a Monday Night Game, someone threw a large firecracker near to the Broadcast booth, one of the announcers said What the Hell was thst?? Howard unruffled simply stated " Gentlemen that was hardly an exercise in civilized process. Howard was the BEST..
1970s greatest time in NFL history ! Hardy ever watch modern pro football. Howard was the best ! A lot of people didn't like Howard because he supported civil rights.
Howard entertained me through my awful years of school , grade 5 to 12 , i wouldnt have made it without howard cosell , i hated school , but loved howard
Howard had guts. He took unpopular stands on topics that today’s announcers would run away from. He made bad games entertaining. He didn’t come to the party. He WAS the party.
A very underated documentary. Loved listening to him as a young kid, and I as a kid never knew why adults didn't like him. I thought he was the smartest person I ever heard speak. Could not wait to watch Monday night football in the 1970's.
As a kid growing up in the 70s, when I think of Howard Cosell, I think of Monday Night Football, and I think of Ali fights. Good times. "Hello again everyone, this is Howard Cosell." That tagline gave me butterflies in my stomach. My dad couldn't speak English, and when he tried to say Howard Cosell, it would come out as Alka Seltzer 😂 That's the only broadcaster he knew. God bless Howard Cosell and his family.
Howard Cosell to this very day is still the number one TV-Radio talent whether anyone wants to admit it or not Howard was the number one attraction on network television and he's still the standard to this day. Howard was king of all media in the 1970s.
Howard was an is an icon,I was 13 when MNF started an as much as I loved the sport of football,I grew to love Howard's entertainment of the sport even more,in the ring Ali was the greatest,out of the ring reporting Howard was the greatest of them all
Really enjoyed listening to him as a kid growing up in the 1970's. Staying up late on a school night to watch Monday Night Football and listening to Howard call the game . What great memories! I still do the down goes Frazier , when ever I'm at a party and some one falls down drunk. That call during the Foreman vs. Frazier fight was epic! Rest in peace Mr. Howard Cosell you are missed..
Not enough time has elapsed for the television viewing public to fully appreciate the exceptionality and the contributions Howard Cosell provided to sports broadcasting.
@@jeffersonianideal: I'm surprised how many people I meet that prefer to have people "tell it like it is". Honestly, I believe most people, wherever they may be, prefer the same. I believe there are more "good" people than not. The good people need to speak up and speak out and not be afraid to tell it like it is to broadcast to the meek that they are not alone. Just my beliefs.
@@billwilson5341 My experience is somewhat different than yours. People claim to prefer the truth but either hold fast to their erroneous, contrarian viewpoint or are patently offended by a confrontation with stark reality.
Howard Cosell , was the unofficial voice of the injustice that existed during the period. He wanted to be a difference maker and he not only talked it, he lived it.
Howard Cosell damn I miss you. Your interviews with Muhammad Ali were legendary. You were a good man. You never turned your back on Ali when everyone else did. Your legacy is of a real hero. RIP always brother.
In the 70s I loved Monday Night Football and Howard Cosell's halftime highlights. My father and much older brother did not care for Howard but as a young kid I just enjoyed the half-time highlights and the banter between the broadcasters. I Didn't realize there was animosity between them, later in life I learned Howard was abrasive to others as he told it like he thought it was and nothing really wrong with that but did lead to the life he lived...good and bad. I feel for him as he really loved his wife, she was his everything.
Growing up as a kid in the 60s and 70s and having to have to watch sports a lot with my dad. When I really enjoyed going out to the rock concerts of the day with my friends even more..I only have one thing to say about Howard Cosell..I miss Howard Cosell..If he was on TV back then doing any sport event, it was so cool..He was just as cool as rock and roll. frankny65yroldwhitekid rockfan
I loved watching Monday night football with Howard Cosell a real legend this was a great documentary of Howard Cosell 👏 his family will always be proud of him
Its hard for me to imagine that people would get so worked up as to actually hate Cosell to the point that his life was threatened. He was an opinionated sportscaster, not a politician. In my opinion, his prescence alone could elevate an ordinary sporting event. I dont think anyone actually practices real journalism and tackles tough issues in sports anymore like he did. Monday Night Football and boxing hasnt been the same without him. I think he would be disgusted with sports and the lack of character in so many of todays athletes. He would not fit in with today's greedy sports' world. He was right for his time. His negativity towards the end of his life was very sad.
3 года назад
God, how I lived for those Monday Night Football highlights, Dan !!
@@billwilson5341 I agree Bill, but could today's cradled, coddled athlete and today's oversensitive society that seems allergic to the truth be able to handle Cosell? He was straight-forward and would dig for the truth. Old-school values and practices.
@@danielmckrell6604: Howard Cosell, with his "old-school values and practices" is exactly what "today's cradled, coddled athlete" and "oversensitive society that seems allergic to the truth" needs. Understand Mr. McKrell, that the evil we have described is actually a small fraction of the population. That the Media makes it seem that the Evil makes up a larger percentage of the population just proves that they are part of the Evil. Good outweighs the Evil and the more good people speak up and negate the Evil is exactly what is needed to save the greatest nation on the planet. There are actually many good people that speak but the Media does not give them coverage.
@@billwilson5341 Bill, I was a journalism student at Kent St when Cosell passed away in '95. The night before, I was watching the Foreman-Schulz fight on HBO at a fellow-student's apartment. I had just written a paper on Cosell for an Ethics class and was educating this younger classmate (over beers of course) on the impact Cosell had on sports journalism. Amazingly enough, my classmate called me the following morning to inform me that Cosell had passed away. I didnt even know he was seriously ill in the hospital. It was like I was delivering his eulogy on my friend's balcony without even knowing it. I was an older student so Cosell was a big part of my childhood and youth.
The world last a true original. There is no one like Howard Cosell and probably never will be. Sometimes it seems like Stephen A Smith has tried to grab that space but it's not quite the same.
Rest in peace Howard, you left your indelible mark of honesty on this world that will never be forgotten or duplicated. You were righteous when others in corporate America were self serving. Well done sir for a life well lived.
Growing up in the 70's, I lived in New York and Howard had a sports report at 55 minutes past every hour on WABC and he gave so much information in those 5 minutes to the top of the hour. I felt informed. He also had an amazing relationship with Muhammed Ali and often gave a side to Muhammed that others didn't see. He was hated in the business by many but always got the headlines and fame, love or hate him.
Howard was a perfectly imperfect human that opened minds beyond the sports involved. I'll never forget the somber evening of December 8 when he broke the news to my house of a musician being murdered. I was very young but remember Howard eliminating the game with his tone as he went into the story. The game never seemed less important do to Howard's delivery and I barely knew who John Lennon was besides being a Beatle. It was the humble person inside that will stick with me.
The only time that Cosell was ever even momentarily speechless was right after Super Bowl 3. Doing the Jets' post game wrapup,play by play announcer Merle Harmon turned the mike over to Howard:"I don't know what there is left to say,Merle." He was still somewhat stunned and caught off guard for another 20 seconds or so,then he got into gear and was magnificent.
“Ooohh, what a blow! What a way to top it off! Forget about who the most valuable player is in the World Series! How this man has responded to pressure! Oh, what a beam on his face! How can you blame him? He’s answered the whole world!” --- Howard Cosell announcing on the ABC Network after Reggie Jackson hit his 3rd Home Run at Yankee Stadium in Game 6 of the World Series on October 18, 1977...Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier! God I miss this guy! RIP Howard..
"Down goes FRAYYYSHA"..."Down goes FRAYYSHA"..."Down goes FRAYYSHA"----I swear, out of every sports broadcast I've watched going back to 1969 that is the call that stands out in my memory more than any other! (And Cosell's call of that fight might be my all-time favorite sports broadcast! It was beyond legendary!!!)
Billy Crystal called it...Opera. THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IS TAKING THE MANDATORY 8- COUNT, AND FOREMAN IS AS POISED AS CAN BEEE, IN A NEUTRAL CORNER!!! That follow-up is what made it so poetic, to me. And isn't it interesting that Howard's greatest boxing call... did NOT involve Muhammad Ali? 33:34
At 26:59 , the voice and controversy, even with other journalists, is what Howard Cosell thrived in at ABC Sports! He changed the way people viewed sports , love him or hate him. RIP Howard Cosell
The one person who could get back at Howard was Bob Uecker. Howard: "Bob, you don't need to be so truculent. I bet you don't even know what 'truculent' means!" Uecker: "Sure I do. If you had a truck and you let me borrow it, that would be a 'truck-you-lent'."
He could not have picked a better time to be alive. Controversies and opinions galore. He knew how to speak without notes. The halftime highlights without notes. A lawyer who got very involved in sports. Say it like it is 😊
@nelsonsavinon605 Don't be silly - little cosell was an oily, unctuous wretch who loved the sound of hi own pedantic voice and never stopped blabbing trite platitudes. Your sound old.
I still use his saying.. At markets where I sell.. Whenever I hear a vendor break something or something falls to the ground. I always say Down goes Frazier Down goes Frazier Here's to you Howard. 🍻 🥂 No one did it like you ..
In my opinion Howard was the greatest sports broadcaster . Cosell and Ali were amazing to watch together. Never has the relationship between an athlete and sportscaster been worthy of legendary status 5:12
I will say this for Howard nobody called boxing as well as Cosell he did the interview with John Lennon and was first to report to the country that he was killed and he did did all that with real class
I still get tears in my eyes for the call on the 1976 LCS. In those days the Mets were THE team in New York. They had Tom Seaver, Yogi Berra, Jerry Grote, two pennants and a World Championship. The Yankees were wife swappers. When they beat the Red Sox and broke through for the pennant......Wow!
The heyday of sports. I haven't watched any sports commentary in over 20 years. Every time I try I just get so disappointed. I'm blessed to say I lived these times. They kept us on the edge of our seats for sure.
Howard Cosell was a sports institution. We loved him while watching MNF and waited to see the halftime highlights. His narration of such and his command of the English language was profound. The man changed sports broadcasting forever and he belongs in the Hall Of Fame! As for ABC creating a platform wherein Howard became the person people loved to hate, I guess CBS MUST’VE had that in mind hiring Dick Stockton & Tom Heinsohn. Two Boston announcers hired by a network to call a local teams games AND pull for them over the air while disregarding and disliking the Lakers.
I still remember back in the 70's a bar in Chicago would have this contest see who gets to throw the first brick at the tv when Howard either comes on the air or starts talking on air during MNF that was too funny
Howard made sports alive, dramatic, comic, heroic, and also very human. He was never a racist, always supported Ali, helped sports broadcasting become the great thing it is today
Howard Cosell may have been the best blow by blow boxing announcer who ever lived. Maybe he should have freelanced among the networks whenever they had a boxing match.
The problem was, Roone Arledge at ABC was the only network executive who could put up with Howard. He realized what he had, and dealt with Howard's difficult personality. No other execs wanted to.
When whoever says the relation between Howard and Ali wasn't as close as Cosell made people believe we'll it was .On one interview Ali said" I love working with Howard Cosell". On other interviews where Cosell wasn't present Ali would ask for or mention Cosell.
