Bill Macatee facts for kids
Bill Macatee (born November 17, 1955) is a well-known American former sports broadcaster. He spent many years sharing exciting sports moments with viewers. He worked for major networks like CBS Sports and the Tennis Channel. He covered many different sports, from golf and tennis to football and basketball.
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Early Life and School Days
Bill Macatee was born in Rome, New York. He grew up in El Paso, Texas. He went to Burges High School there. In 1978, he earned a degree from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. While in college, Bill worked at TV stations in Tyler and Austin, Texas. This was his start in broadcasting.
Bill Macatee's Broadcasting Career
Starting in TV News
Bill Macatee began his career in Beaumont, Texas. He became the Sports Director at KBMT-TV. After that, he worked at KMBC-TV in Kansas City. Then, he spent three years (1979-1982) at WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas.
Working at NBC Sports
In 1982, Bill Macatee joined NBC Sports. He worked for both NBC News and NBC Sports from New York. He covered many big events for NBC. These included Wimbledon tennis, the Super Bowl in football, and the Rose Bowl college football game. He also covered the World Series in baseball.
For four years, he hosted the pre-game show for NBC's Major League Baseball Game of the Week. He also hosted many events for NBC Sportsworld. Bill was also the sports reporter for the Today Show. He anchored sports news for NBC News at Sunrise and Sunday Today.
Moving to USA Network
Bill Macatee joined USA Network in 1990. From 1991 to 2006, he was a main voice for PGA Tour golf. He hosted the Thursday and Friday coverage of The Masters golf tournament. He also covered the Ryder Cup. Besides golf, he did play-by-play for tennis. This included the U.S. Open and the French Open at Roland Garros.
Joining CBS Sports
In 1995, Bill Macatee started working for CBS Sports. He was a commentator for The Masters and the PGA Championship. He also filled in for Jim Nantz during other PGA Tour events. He anchored CBS's coverage of the LPGA Championship and other golf tours. In 2015, he hosted a show called Greatest Rounds on the Golf Channel.
Bill also helped cover the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, for CBS Sports. He was a studio host for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, for NBC and USA Network.
Tennis and Football Commentary
For tennis, Bill Macatee was the main play-by-play announcer for the U.S. Open Tennis Championships on CBS. He also covered other tennis events for the ATP and WTA.
For 16 years (1998-2013), Bill did play-by-play for the NFL on CBS. He also called NCAA Basketball games for CBS Sports. This included the famous NCAA Tournament. Bill covered many different sports. These included figure skating, skiing, track-and-field, gymnastics, boxing, and even sumo wrestling.
Work with Tennis Channel
Bill Macatee was also a main voice and studio host for the Tennis Channel. He covered major tennis tournaments like the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.
Beyond Broadcasting
In 2013, Bill Macatee joined The Vistria Group. This is a company that invests in other businesses. He worked as a Senior Advisor and later as a Partner. He has also been on the boards of several companies. He also served on the advisory board of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Foundation.
Bill taught Sports Media at Chapman University in Southern California for two years. He was also a Trustee at Lamar University from 2016 to 2019. Lamar University honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2010. He also gave the graduation speech there in May 2014.
In 2018, Bill Macatee was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This was when he was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. He is also in the El Paso (Tx) Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was the Grand Marshall of the Sun Bowl Parade.
Bill Macatee retired from broadcasting after the 2020 Masters golf tournament.
Personal Life
Bill Macatee is the father of Caitlin Macatee, who is a comedian. In 2014, Bill married Sonya Lee. They live in Dallas, Texas.
