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. 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, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks" basketball team. Albert was best known across the country for being the main announcer for both the NBA on NBC and NBA games on TNT. In 2015, he was added to the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Besides basketball, he also announced many other sports. These included American football, ice hockey, horse racing, boxing, and tennis. Albert called the main play-by-play for eight Super Bowls. He also announced nine NBA Finals and seven Stanley Cup Finals. He even covered the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for TNT. Albert comes from a family of broadcasters. His brothers, Al and Steve Albert, and his son, Kenny, are also sports commentators.

Early Life and Education

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

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

Broadcasting Career Highlights

National Basketball Association (NBA)

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

Albert became the main voice of the New York Knicks in 1967. He stayed with the team for 37 years, announcing games on radio and TV. He left the Knicks in 2004.

Working with NBC Sports

Albert was the main play-by-play announcer for the NBA on NBC for many years. He called most of the NBA Finals games from 1990 to 2002. For a few years, Bob Costas filled in for him during the NBA Finals. Albert returned to his main role for the 2000-2001 season. He called the final NBA game shown on NBC in 2002. During this time, he also started calling national games for TNT in 1999.

Announcing for TNT

Albert continued as the main play-by-play announcer for NBA games on TNT. This became his main job after NBC lost the NBA broadcasting rights in 2002. His most famous call in basketball is his simple "Yes!" when a basket is scored. He would say it in many ways, depending on how exciting the play was.

In April 2002, Albert and fellow announcer Mike Fratello were in a car accident. Albert had some injuries, including cuts on his face and a concussion. Bob Costas filled in for him for some games. Albert returned to announce the Western Conference Semifinals.

On May 15, 2021, it was announced that Albert planned to retire after the 2021 NBA playoffs. His last game was Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

New Jersey Nets (YES Network)

In 2005, Albert became the main play-by-play announcer for the New Jersey Nets. He often worked with NBA veteran Mark Jackson on the YES Network. All three Albert brothers have worked for the Nets. Al started with the Nets when they were in the ABA, and Steve called games in the 1970s and 1980s. Albert left the YES Network in 2011 to join CBS Sports.

Other Basketball Work

Albert hosted a basketball interview show called The Marv Albert Show on NBA TV. He also provided the play-by-play voice for the NBA Live video game series from EA Sports until NBA Live 10. From 2011 to 2015, Albert announced NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament games. In 2016, he decided to stop calling NCAA Tournament games. He said calling so many games in a few days was too much for his voice.

Beyond Basketball

New York Rangers (NHL)

Albert also spent many years announcing games for the New York Rangers hockey team. He started in 1965. He famously called the Rangers' Stanley Cup-winning game in 1994 on the radio. He also gave his radio analyst, Sal Messina, the nickname "Red Light." Albert's signature phrase for a great save by a goalie was "kick save and a beauty."

Albert left the Rangers after the 1994-95 season. His son, Kenny, took over as the radio voice of the Rangers.

New York Giants (NFL)

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

Monday Night Football (Radio)

Albert was also the main play-by-play voice for the Westwood One radio network's NFL coverage. He called Monday Night Football games from 2002 to 2009. He also announced many playoff games and every Super Bowl from 2003 to 2010. He left his NFL duties in 2010.

NFL on CBS

In 2011, Albert joined CBS Sports to call play-by-play for The NFL on CBS. He often worked with Rich Gannon. In 2014, Albert stepped down from calling NFL games to focus more on his basketball work.

Other Sports and Shows

Albert had many other roles with NBC Sports. He announced NFL games, college basketball, horse racing, and boxing. He also called NHL All-Star Games and hosted Major League Baseball studio shows. He spent 13 years as the sports director for WNBC-TV in New York. Albert also called NHL games for the syndicated NHL Network in 1976-77. From 2000 to 2002, he helped announce the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament for TNT.

In Popular Culture

Marv Albert appeared on David Letterman's late-night talk shows 53 times. Each time, he brought funny clips of sports bloopers and amazing plays. He narrated these clips and called them the "Albert Achievement Awards."

He was ranked No. 14 on a list of the Top 50 All-Time Network Television Sports Announcers. Albert's voice was imitated in the popular video game NBA Jam. The band 'Tenacious D' got their name from a phrase Albert used to describe the "tenacious defense" of the New York Knicks in 1994.

Honors and Awards

• 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

Career Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Marv Albert para niños