Thursday, 16 April 2026

    Keith Jackson

    • Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
    • Embed from Getty Images
    • Sport(s): Football, Baseball, Basketball, Auto Racing, Boxing & Olympics
    • Statistics & Accolades: National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame
      American Sportscaster Association Hall of Fame
      Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
      Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
      Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
      Washington State Sports Hall of Fame
      Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
      4x Emmy Award Winner
      Lifetime Emmy Achievement Award
    • Beginning his broadcasting career in Seattle, Keith Jackosn coveed local sports, mainly for the University of Washington. He made history in 1959 by being the first American broadcaster to cover a sporting event in the Soviet Union, when he called a crew race between UW and a Soviet Team.

      His true calling was football, and in the early 1960s, he called AFL games and was part of the first season of Monday Night Football; however, ABC Sports head Roone Arledge always coveted Frank Gifford for the role. When Gifford’s contract with CBS expired, Arledge replaced Jackson, but it was the best thing to happen to Jackson, as he would become the lead announcer for over 40 years for ABC’s college football programs and was known as the “voice of college football.”

      He also did a lot of work on ABC’s baseball playoffs and was part of over ten Olympic broadcasts, not to mention various events for Wide World of Sports.

      We are proud to nominate Keith Jackson for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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