Howard Cosell

Howard Cosell
Cosell in 1980
Born	Howard William Cohen (1918-03-25)March 25, 1918 Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	April 23, 1995(1995-04-23) (aged 77) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupations	Journalist author radio personality columnist sports commentator lawyer television personality
Years active	1953–1993
Spouse	Mary Edith Abrams "Emmy" Cosell ​ ​ (m. 1944; died 1990)​
Children	2
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/; né Cohen; March 25, 1918 – April 23, 1995) was an American sports journalist, broadcaster and author. Cosell became prominent and influential during his tenure with ABC Sports from 1953 until 1985.

Cosell was widely known for his blustery, confident personality.^[1] Cosell said of himself, "I've been called arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. And, of course, I am." Cosell was sardonically nicknamed "Humble Howard" by fans and media critics.^[2] In its obituary for Cosell, The New York Times described Cosell's effect on American sports coverage:

He entered sports broadcasting in the mid-1950s, when the predominant style was unabashed adulation, [and] offered a brassy counterpoint that was first ridiculed, then copied until it became the dominant note of sports broadcasting.^[1]

He also brought an antagonistic, almost heel-like commentary, notably his giving criticism of Terry Bradshaw by suggesting that he did not have the intelligence to win in the league.^[3]

In 1993, TV Guide named Howard Cosell The All-Time Best Sportscaster.^[4]