I have a feeling that most of my younger viewers have no idea who Washington D.C. sportscaster George Michael is. For my older viewers, you know him best from "The George Michaels Sports Machine".
The fame cable sports highlight show was one of the more popular sports highlight shows in the late 80's and 90's and help provide inspiration to such shows as ESPN's SportsCenter and CNN's Late Night Sports.
Michael's himself was a popular radio disc jockey in Philadelphia and New York before taking a job at the NBC Washington affiliate WRC as their sports anchor. He worked with the station from 1980-2008 before budget cuts ended his time with WRC.
He also hosted Washington sports shows, "Redskins Report and Full Court Press" who helped launch the careers of current "Pardon the Interruption" Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser who at the time were Washington Post writers.
Michael's was most known for his high-animated and exciting delivery on highlights and his use of the word, "WHAM" during highlights. He also created the "Plays of the Week/Plays of the Month/Plays of the Year" segments which have become a mainstay on ESPN SportsCenter today.
Michael's passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer at Sibley Memorial hospital. He was 70.
In honor of George Michael, here are the openings to the Sports Machine in 1990, 1992, and 1997 along with the "Plays of the Year" for 1993, 1996 and 2006.
(Some of the information was used from an Washington Post Article)
In Memoriam: George Michael (1939-2009)
