Marv Albert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marv Albert
Albert calling a game for TNT in December 2008
Born	Marvin Philip Aufrichtig (1941-06-12) June 12, 1941 (age 84) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Education	Syracuse University New York University
Years active	1963–2021
Spouse(s)	Benita Oberlander Heather Faulkiner
Children	4, including Kenny
Sports commentary career
Genre(s)	Play-by-play
Sports	Basketball American football ice hockey boxing

Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is a famous American former sportscaster. A sportscaster is someone who announces sports games. He was often called "the voice of basketball" because of his amazing work. The Basketball Hall of Fame honored him for his contributions.

From 1967 to 2004, Marv Albert was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks". The Knicks are a professional basketball team. Nationally, he was best known for being the main announcer for NBA on NBC and NBA games on TNT. In 2015, he was added to the broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Marv Albert announced many professional and college basketball games. He also called games for other sports. These included American football, ice hockey, horse racing, boxing, and tennis. He has announced eight Super Bowls (American football championships). He also called nine NBA Finals (basketball championships). Plus, he announced seven Stanley Cup Finals (ice hockey championships). He even covered the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for TNT. He also worked as a reporter for two World Series baseball games.

Marv Albert comes from a family of sportscasters. His brothers, Al and Steve Albert, are also sports commentators. His son, Kenny, also announces sports games.

Early Life and Education

Marv Albert was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His family was Jewish. He went to Abraham Lincoln High School. His family owned a grocery store called Aufrichtig.

He studied at Syracuse University from 1960 to 1963. He then graduated from New York University in 1965. In 1962, he was the announcer for the AAA Syracuse Chiefs baseball team.

Broadcasting Career Highlights

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Marv Albert started his career as a ball boy for the New York Knicks. His first game as a broadcaster was on January 27, 1963. He filled in for his mentor, Marty Glickman. The game was against the Boston Celtics.

He became the main voice of the New York Knicks in 1967. He held this job for 37 years. In 2004, he left the Knicks. He had sometimes criticized the team's play on air.

His son, Kenny Albert, has announced some Knicks games since 2009. He fills in when the main announcer, Mike Breen, is busy.

Working for NBC Sports

Marv Albert was the main play-by-play announcer for the NBA on NBC from 1990 to 1997. He returned to this role for the 2000-2001 season. He called the final NBA game shown on NBC in 2002. During this time, he also started announcing national games for TNT in 1999. He worked for both networks until NBC stopped showing NBA games in 2002.

Time at TNT

Marv Albert continued as the main announcer for National Basketball Association games on TNT. He started this role in 1999. TNT became his main focus after NBC lost the NBA broadcasting rights in 2002.

His most famous call in basketball was a simple "Yes!" when a player made a basket. He would say it in many ways, depending on how exciting the moment was.

In April 2002, Marv Albert was in a car accident after a game. He had some injuries but returned to work quickly. Bob Costas filled in for him for a few games.

On May 15, 2021, Marv Albert announced his plan to retire. His last game was Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

New Jersey Nets (YES Network)

In 2005, Marv Albert became the main announcer for the New Jersey Nets. He called their games on the YES Network. He often worked with former NBA player Mark Jackson. All three Albert brothers have worked for the Nets.

In 2011, Marv Albert left the YES Network. He joined CBS Sports to announce NFL and college basketball games.

Other Basketball Work

Marv Albert hosted a basketball interview show called The Marv Albert Show on NBA TV. He also provided the voice for the NBA Live video game series from 2003 to 2009.

From 2011 to 2015, he announced NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament games. In 2016, he decided to stop calling these games. He felt calling so many games in a few days was too much for his voice. He wanted to focus mainly on NBA games.

In 2022, Marv Albert appeared in a short film called Playoffs on NBA Lane.

Beyond Basketball

New York Rangers (Ice Hockey)

Besides the Knicks, Marv Albert also announced games for the New York Rangers ice hockey team. He started in 1965. He called the radio broadcast when the Rangers won the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals in 1994.

He gave the nickname "Red Light" to radio analyst Sal Messina. His famous phrase for a great save by the goalie was "kick save and a beauty."

Marv Albert often missed Rangers games due to other commitments. Many other announcers filled in for him. His son, Kenny Albert, replaced him in 1995. Kenny has been the radio voice of the Rangers ever since.

New York Giants (American Football)

From 1973 to 1976, Marv Albert announced radio broadcasts for the New York Giants football team. He took over from Marty Glickman.

Monday Night Football (Radio)

Marv Albert was the main announcer for Westwood One radio's NFL coverage. This was from 2002 to 2009. He called Monday Night Football games. He also announced many playoff games and every Super Bowl from 2003 to 2010. He left this role in 2010.

NFL on CBS

In 2011, Marv Albert joined CBS Sports to announce The NFL on CBS games. He usually worked with Rich Gannon. In 2014, he stepped down from this role. He wanted to focus more on his basketball announcing duties.

Other Network Work

Marv Albert had many other jobs at NBC Sports. He announced NFL games and college basketball. He also covered horse racing and boxing. He announced NHL All-Star Games from 1990 to 1994. He also worked on Major League Baseball broadcasts. He hosted studio and pre-game shows for baseball. He was also the sports director for WNBC-TV in New York for 13 years.

He also announced NHL games for the NHL Network in 1976-77. From 2000 to 2002, he helped announce the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament for TNT.

Awards and Honors

Marv Albert has received many awards for his broadcasting work:

• Cable ACE Award – six times.
• Curt Gowdy Media Award – from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1997.
• American Sportscasters Association Sportscaster of the Year (Play-by-Play) – 1996.
• Emmy Award – five times for national sports; three times for New York.
• National Jewish Museum Sports Hall of Fame – inducted in 1992.
• New York State Sportscaster of the Year – twenty times.
• National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame – inducted in 2014.
• WAER Hall of Fame – inducted in 2017.

Broadcasting Partners

Marv Albert worked with many different people during his career. Here are some of his broadcasting partners:

Career Timeline

• 1973–1976: New York Giants Play-by-play
• 1990–1997; 2000–2002: NBA on NBC Lead play-by-play
• 1999–2021: NBA on TNT Lead play-by-play
• 2002–2009: Monday Night Football Radio play-by-play on CBS Sports Radio
• 2005–2011: New Jersey Nets Play-by-play on YES Network
• 2011–2014: NFL on CBS Play-by-play

See also

In Spanish: Marv Albert para niños