Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell Cosell in 1975 Born Howard William Cohen (1918-03-25)March 25, 1918 Winston-Salem, North Carolina Died April 23, 1995(1995-04-23) (aged 77) New York, New York Occupation Journalist, author, radio personality, columnist, sports commentator, lawyer, television personality Years active 1953–1993 Spouse(s) Mary Edith Abrams "Emmy" Cosell (m. 1944–90); her death Children Jill Cosell, Hilary Cosell Military career Allegiance United States Service/branch United States Army Years of service 1941-1945 Rank Major Unit United States Army Transportation Corps Battles/wars World War II Howard William Cosell (/koʊˈsɛl/; born Howard William Cohen; March 25, 1918 – April 23, 1995) was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. There's no question that I'm all of those things." In its obituary for Cosell, The New York Times described Cosell's impact on American sports coverage: "He entered sports broadcasting in the mid-1950s, when the predominant style was unabashed adulation, offered a brassy counterpoint that was first ridiculed, then copied until it became the dominant note of sports broadcasting." In 1993, TV Guide named Howard Cosell The All-Time Best Sportscaster in its issue celebrating 40 years of television. In 1996, Howard Cosell was ranked #47 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.