Ted Husing
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Edward Britt (Ted) Husing (November 27, 1901 - August 10, 1962) was an American sportcaster, among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting on television and radio.
Husing was born in the Bronx, New York -- and given the name Edmund. The youngest of three children of immigrant German parents, he was the only one to survive childhood. His father Henry was a fan of middle weight boxing champ Jimmy Edward Britt. By his tenth birthday, the boy's name was changed to Edward Britt Husing. As a teenager, he took on the tag of "Ted" and the nickname stuck.
At age 16, he joined the National Guard and in World War I was assigned to stand watch over New York's harbor. Following the war he floated from jobs as carnival barker to payroll clerk. Once he won an audition over 500 applicants for announcer at New York radio station WHN, Husing found his life's calling. He was schooled under the tutelage of pioneer broadcaster Major J. Andrew White. There he covered breaking news stories, political conventions, and assisted White during football commentaries.
As an announcer, Husings rapid manner of speech earned him the nickname Mile a Minute Husing. His use of descriptive language combined with commanding voice tone made his broadcasts a must listen. By 1927 he was voted seventh most popular announcer in a national poll. Following an alleged pay dispute, he moved to Boston where he broadcast Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) baseball games. Later in '27, he returned to New York and helped his mentor J. Andrew White start the new CBS chain. After cigar mogul William S. Paley bought the cash strapped network in 1928, Ted Husing rose to unseen heights of glory and fame.
At CBS, Husing took on a wide variety of events. He was original voice of the popular March of Time program and announcer for shows like George Burns and Gracie Allen. Above everything, his work on sports gave Husing the biggest prominence. He covered events as diverse as boxing, horse racing, track and field, regattas, seven World Series, tennis, golf, four Olympic Games, Indianapolis 500 motor racing, and especially college football, where he laid down much of the structure of football play-by-play that is still used today. He devised some of the earliest spotting boards to identify the players on the field. Husing also interviewed coaches and players before games, and attended strategy sessions.
In addition to his sports pre-eminence Husing also did news/special events coverage for the CBS Radio Network. In the 1930s, he gave early tutelage to a budding CBS Radio announcer, Mel Allen, who like Husing would become a legendary sportscaster. (And like Husing, Allen would also understudy in news, with Robert Trout.
In both sports and special events areas, Husing developed a bitter rivalry with rising NBC announcer Bill Stern. When the two became the sports stars of their rival network, they would battle fiercely not only for events, but for broadcast position.
Husing's personality could be arrogant, coarse and opinionated. He was the first to bring a candid, editorial style to sports play-by-play. He was barred for two years by Harvard University from covering its home football games after he called an All-American quarterback Barry Wood's performance "putrid." After criticizing World Series umpires in 1934, Husing was banned from doing play-by-play of the Fall Classic by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
In 1946 Husing moved from CBS to WHN (later WMGM) to pursue a career as a disk jockey. (He was succeeded at CBS by Red Barber. Husing's popular music show Ted Husing Bandstand ran from 1946-1954. He continued to busy himself with sports assignments including boxing on CBS and Dumont television. Perhaps he was best known as voice of Army football from 1947-53. Husing's yearly salary neared half a million dollars, giant money for those times.
In 1956 an operation to treat a malignant brain tumor left him blind and forced him to retire. He made an appearance on the television show This Is Your Life and talk of a comeback followed. Tragically, his condition worsened and the plans were stifled. After moving to Pasadena, California under the care of his mother Bertha and daughter Peggemae, he died in 1962.
Husing has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard.
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