He's All Gone

Or
Agony of De Old Age
Jim McKay, who spent a lifetime spanning the globe to bring back a constant variety of sports that no one cared about, has died at the age of 86. As host of the Wide World of Sports from 1961 to 2001, McKay helped bring viewers the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat while watching log rolling, cliff diving and, of course, downhill skiing. He recalled when he was first given the assignment, it would involve “a little travel.” Between Wide World and his other assignments, McKay covered more than 100 different sports in 40 countries, traveling more than 4.5 million miles. McKay broadcast 12 Olympics, none more significant than his work at the 1972 Munich games, when he showed a sportsman could handle the news, anchoring 16 consecutive hours of coverage of the kidnapping of 11 Israeli athletes, and, when the rescue attempt failed, announcing to the world, “They’re all gone.” His skilled handling earned him both news and sports Emmy Awards, as well as the prestigious George Polk Memorial award. He earned a total of 13 Emmys, including his last, in 1988, for writing the openings for ABC Sports' coverage of the 1987 Indianapolis 500, the British Open and the Kentucky Derby.