Ron Pinkney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Pinkney
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Ron Pinkney, WEBB Radio Disc Jockey, 1960
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Robert Theron Pinkney
May 26, 1935 |
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| Country | United States of America |
Robert Theron "Ron" Pinkney (born May 26, 1935) is an American broadcasting legend. He was the very first African American to announce a sports game live on a major TV network (ABC). This historic game was a college football match between Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State.
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Ron Pinkney's Early Life
Ron Pinkney was born in Washington, DC on May 26, 1935. His parents were Robert Pinkney and Catherine Staton. He grew up in Annapolis, Maryland.
He went to Stanton Elementary School and graduated from Bates High School in Annapolis. Later, he studied at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He also attended the Baltimore School of Engineering.
Starting His Career in Radio
Ron Pinkney's first job as a writer was for the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper in 1955. He wrote about Annapolis.
His first job in radio was at station WANN in Annapolis, MD. He became a popular DJ (Disc Jockey) at WEBB in Baltimore, MD, from 1960 to 1962.
In 1963, while still a DJ, he started announcing sports. He began at his old high school, Bates High School. He hosted two daily sports shows. He also did "play-by-play" announcing for football and basketball games. This means he described the action as it happened.
He started broadcasting college games in 1964. He covered games for Maryland State (now University of MD-Eastern Shore) and Delaware State University. The Maryland State Hawks football team was very successful then. They were Black College Football National champions.
Pinkney became the morning news anchor at WOL radio in Washington, DC. This was a very popular station. He was later promoted to news director. He managed three other newscasters.
From 1968 to 1970, he was the voice of Morgan State football on WEBB. The Morgan State Golden Bears had a fantastic 33-game winning streak. Famous players like Raymond Chester and Mark Washington played for them.
Becoming a TV Star
Ron Pinkney made history as the first Black sportscaster to work on a televised game. He covered the famous Orange Blossom Classic. This was a big Black college football game in Miami, Florida. It was shown on a special closed-circuit TV system.
He was hired as a weekend sportscaster at WTTG, Channel 5, in Washington, DC. He worked with famous anchors like Connie Chung and Maury Povich. Pinkney also hosted a weekly half-hour news show about Black communities. He was the weekend sportscaster for the 10:00 pm news from 1970 to 1973.
From 1971 to 1974, Pinkney announced the syndicated Grambling University football games. He worked with Collie Nicholson, who helped make the Grambling Tigers famous. The legendary coach Eddie Robinson led the Grambling team. He became one of the winningest coaches in football history.
Pinkney took over from actor Fred "The Hammer" Williamson as the main announcer. In 1972, former Dallas Cowboys player Don Perkins joined him. Betty Smith, a sports writer, also joined. She was one of the first women sideline reporters. Grambling games were shown in 94 different cities.
In 1974, Pinkney became the Sports Director for the Mutual Black Network (MBN). He was the main announcer for the MBN Black College Game of the Week. This was a huge step for Black college sports. Former NFL star Roger Brown joined the team in 1975. These games aired until 1979. Pinkney was also the Sports Director for National Black Network (NBN) from 1979 to 1991.
ABC TV broadcast three HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) games. Ron Pinkney and Don Perkins were the announcers. This made Pinkney the first African American play-by-play announcer on a major TV network.
Pinkney also covered the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. He covered the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles for National Black Network.
In 1978, Pinkney was a "color commentator" for the CIAA Invitational Tournament. This means he added insights and analysis during the game. In 1979, NBC-TV also covered this tournament. Pinkney did the play-by-play. He worked with Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Sam Jones.
Ron Pinkney finished his amazing 55-year career at Hampton University. He announced their basketball and football games.
Pinkney was often seen as a "good luck charm" for the teams he covered. Many of them won championships:
- Morgan State Football (1967-70)
- Grambling State Football (1971, '74)
- Hampton University Football (1997–98, 2000)
- Hampton University Men's Basketball (2001-02)
- Hampton University Women's Basketball (2003-04)
Ron Pinkney retired in 2005. He now lives in Hampton, Virginia.
Career Highlights
Ron Pinkney had many important moments in his career:
- 1968: He covered the first Whitney M. Young Urban League Classic in Yankee Stadium.
- 1971-75: He hosted football coverage for Black Associated Sports Enterprise.
- 1983: He announced the Circle City Classic.
- 1984: He covered the BET Game of the Week.
- 1987-1988: He announced the CIAA Game of the Week for Tempo Television.
- 1989: He became the National Black Network Sports Director.
- 1990: He announced the Home Team Sports CIAA Football Game of the Week.
- 1993: He covered the John B. McLendon, Jr. Invitational.
- 1996-2005: He was the play-by-play announcer for Hampton University football and basketball on WHOV-FM.
Awards and Recognition
Ron Pinkney received several honors for his work:
- CIAA Sportscaster of the Year: 1974, 1978
- Capital Press Club Award: 1969
- Voice of Radio documentary, the Death of Martin Luther King: 1968
- Honorary Alumnus Award, Grambling University: 1971 (for his TV coverage of Grambling football)
Images for kids
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Edd Hayes with Ron Pinkney at CIAA Tournament
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Pinkney doing play by play at the MEAC Tournament, Hampton University 2005
