Chris Schenkel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Schenkel
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Schenkel in 1964
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| Born | August 21, 1923 Bippus, Indiana, U.S.
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| Died | September 11, 2005 (aged 82) Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
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| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) |
Fran Paige
(m. 1955) |
| Children | 3 |
Christopher Eugene Schenkel (born August 21, 1923 – died September 11, 2005) was a famous American sportscaster. For over 50 years, he described exciting sports action. You could hear his smooth voice on television and radio. He covered many different sports, making him a well-known voice in homes across the country.
Contents
About Chris Schenkel
His Early Life and Start in Broadcasting
Chris Schenkel was born on August 21, 1923. He grew up on a farm in Bippus, Indiana. He was one of six children in his family. Chris started his broadcasting journey at WBAA radio station. This was while he was a student at Purdue University. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War.
After the wars, he worked at WLBC radio in Muncie, Indiana. Then, he moved to television in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1947, he began announcing Harvard football games. For six years, he also called Thoroughbred horse races at Narragansett Park.
Moving to National Television
In 1952, Chris Schenkel joined the DuMont Television Network. There, he broadcast New York Giants football games. He also hosted popular boxing shows like Boxing From Eastern Parkway. He became DuMont's main boxing announcer. Chris even announced DuMont's very last broadcast. It was a high school football championship game in 1957.
When DuMont stopped its TV network in 1956, Chris moved to CBS Sports. He continued to call Giants games. He also covered boxing, Triple Crown horse racing, and The Masters golf tournament. He even called the exciting 1958 NFL Championship Game for NBC.
Becoming a Star at ABC Sports
ABC Sports hired Chris Schenkel in 1965. This is where he became very famous. He broadcast many different sports. These included college football, Major League Baseball, and NBA basketball. He also covered golf, tennis, boxing, auto racing, and the Olympic Games.
Chris was especially known for covering professional bowling. He worked on the Professional Bowlers Tour for ABC. He covered bowling from the early 1960s until 1997. Bowling became one of ABC's most popular Saturday afternoon sports. His broadcast partners included Billy Welu and Nelson "Bo" Burton, Jr..
Chris and his team made bowling exciting to watch. The Pro Bowlers Tour often had more viewers than college football. Many families made watching bowling a Saturday tradition. It was often shown right before ABC's Wide World of Sports.
During his 36 years on the Professional Bowlers Tour, Chris sometimes had other assignments. Interestingly, he was away for the first three televised 300 games in bowling. (A 300 game is when a bowler gets a strike in every single frame). People joked that Chris was a "curse" for perfect games! But he finally called a televised 300 game on January 31, 1987. It was bowled by Pete McCordic. Chris was also away when the difficult 7-10 split was converted on TV by Mark Roth.
Awards and Recognition
Honoring His Contributions
In 1971, a scholarship for golf was created in Chris Schenkel's name. It was at Georgia Southern University. The golf tournament was called the "Chris Schenkel Intercollegiate Golf Tournament." It featured top college golf teams. This tournament is still considered one of the best college golf events in the East.
Chris also called the legendary 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas football game. This game was known as a "Game of the Century." Over half of the TVs in the United States were tuned in! Years later, Chris said it was the most exciting college football game he ever broadcast. He also called other big games, like the Nebraska-Oklahoma match in 1971.
In 1975, he received the Golden Plate Award. This award is from the American Academy of Achievement.
Hall of Fame Inductions
Chris Schenkel was honored many times for his work.
- In 1976, he was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. This was for his great service to bowling.
- In 1988, he joined the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.
- In 1981, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
Other Special Awards
Chris was named National Sportscaster of the Year four times. In 1992, he received a lifetime achievement Emmy Award. Also in 1992, the Pro Football Hall of Fame gave him the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. In 1999, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1996, the National Football Foundation created an award in his honor. It is given each year to broadcasters with ties to a university. In 1999, the Professional Bowlers Association named its Player of the Year award after him.
In 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Chris 25th on its list of the Top 50 Sportscasters of All-Time.
Personal Life and Passing
Chris Schenkel was married to Fran Paige, a former dancer and model. They had three children: Christina, Ted, and John. He also had three grandchildren: Christopher, Michael, and Katie. Chris lived on Tippecanoe Lake in Leesburg, Indiana.
In 1971, Chris was a passenger in the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 race. The driver accidentally crashed the car. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.
Chris Schenkel passed away in 2005 at the age of 82. He died from emphysema. He is buried in Bippus, Indiana.
Other Appearances
Chris Schenkel also appeared in a few movies.
- In the 1979 movie Dreamer, he played a bowling announcer.
- He appeared as himself in the 1996 film Kingpin. He was the play-by-play announcer for the final bowling match.
- In the 1994 film Greedy, he also played himself as a bowling tournament announcer.
You can hear Chris Schenkel's voice in the famous "Daisy" ad. This ad was for Lyndon B. Johnson's presidential campaign in 1964. He is also mentioned in the 1973 Cheech & Chong song "Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces".
