Lindsey Nelson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lindsey Nelson
|
|
|---|---|
Nelson (foreground) with Red Grange in 1955
|
|
| Born | May 25, 1919 |
| Died | June 10, 1995 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Known for | Covering the New York Mets, Cotton Bowls, Sugar Bowls, announcing Notre Dame games, and founder of the University of Tennessee's Vol Network |
Lindsey Nelson (born May 25, 1919 – died June 10, 1995) was a famous American sportscaster. He was best known for his long career describing the action, called play-by-play, for college football and New York Mets baseball games.
Nelson worked with the Mets for 17 years and later with the San Francisco Giants for three years. He covered college football for 33 years. This included 26 Cotton Bowl games, five Sugar Bowls, and four Rose Bowls. He also announced Notre Dame games for 14 years. Lindsey Nelson is honored in 13 different Halls of Fame! Fans remember him as a very talented broadcaster and a great storyteller. He was truly passionate about sports. Nelson was known for his bright, colorful jackets and his exciting way of speaking. He became one of the top sportscasters in the business.
Contents
Lindsey Nelson's Early Life & Military Service
Lindsey Nelson was born on May 25, 1919, in Pulaski, Tennessee. He was the third child of Jon and Asie Nelson. He went to Columbia Central High School in Columbia. In 1941, he graduated from the University of Tennessee.
After college, he taught English. Then, he joined the U.S. Army during World War II. He became a captain and served in North Africa and Europe. He also worked as a war correspondent, reporting on the war. Nelson even played on an Army baseball team!
Lindsey Nelson's Broadcasting Career
Nelson started his broadcasting career in 1948. Before that, he was a reporter for a newspaper in Columbia, Tennessee. He then went back to his old university in Knoxville, Tennessee. There, he helped create and became the first play-by-play announcer for the Vol Network. This network broadcasted the college football games of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Calling the Cotton Bowl & Instant Replay
Lindsey Nelson was often called "Mr. New Year's Day." This was because he announced the Cotton Bowl Classic for 26 seasons on CBS television. He became widely known for his Tennessee accent and his famous opening line: "Happy New Year; this is Lindsey Nelson in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas."
He also called many Army–Navy Games for CBS. One famous game was in 1963, when instant replay was used for the very first time! After the first replay, Nelson had to tell viewers that the Army team had not scored again. For 14 years, Nelson was also the TV voice for Notre Dame football. He also announced NFL games on radio for Mutual Broadcasting System's Monday night from 1974 to 1977. He also called many NFL games for CBS television.
Nelson began his national baseball broadcasting career with the Liberty Broadcasting System. He later worked as an administrator for NBC Sports. By 1957, he started broadcasting baseball games for NBC. During his time at NBC, he also announced college football, NBA and college basketball, and professional golf and tennis.
New York Mets Announcer
In 1962, the new New York Mets baseball team hired Lindsey Nelson as their main broadcaster. For the next 17 seasons, he announced games on both radio and television. He worked alongside Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy. Nelson and Murphy later received the Ford C. Frick Award. This award is given each year to an announcer who has made "major contributions to baseball." The award is presented at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
While with the Mets, Nelson did something very unique. On April 28, 1965, he made the first (and only) radio broadcast of a baseball game from directly above the field! He was in a gondola hanging from the ceiling of the Houston Astrodome. He was 208 feet above second base. Nelson said, "At first, I couldn't see anything except a lot of tiny figures. Everybody looked the same height... You couldn't tell a line drive from a pop fly." The Mets lost that game, and Nelson decided not to do that stunt again.
When former Mets star Tom Seaver was going for his 300th victory in 1985, Nelson was asked to call the final part of that historic game.
San Francisco Giants & Other Work
In 1979, Nelson moved to the San Francisco Giants. He worked for them for three seasons. He also worked on CBS Radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball in 1985. He is remembered for being the announcer during the first NFL game on CBS to use "instant replay." He had to explain it many times during the game, reminding viewers that "this is not live."
Lindsey Nelson's Awards and Honors
Lindsey Nelson received many awards and honors throughout his career. Some of them include:
- Being inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 1979.
- Joining the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1984.
- Being inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 1986.
- Receiving the Tuss McLaughry Service Award for sports broadcasting in 1988.
- Getting the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
- Receiving the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
- Winning an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1991.
- Being inducted into the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 2021.
The home field for the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team was named Lindsey Nelson Stadium in his honor.
Lindsey Nelson's Personal Life & Retirement
Lindsey Nelson was famous for his very colorful plaid sports jackets on television. People say he owned 335 of them at one point! Sometimes, his jackets would clash with the TV set. But he thought that if fans could see him, he might as well give them something interesting to talk about. His unique fashion sense even inspired a TV character named Jim Brockmire!
After he retired from broadcasting, he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. He lived in an apartment across the Tennessee River from the University of Tennessee campus. From there, he could see Neyland Stadium, which is the home field for the Vols. He also wrote a book about his life called Hello Everybody, I'm Lindsey Nelson. This was his famous opening phrase.
Lindsey Nelson passed away from Parkinson's disease on June 10, 1995, at the age of 76. He is buried in Polk Memorial Gardens in Columbia. His wife, Mickie, died in 1973. They had two daughters, Nancy and Sharon.
Images for kids
-
Nelson (foreground) with Red Grange in 1955
