Christopher Eugene "Chris" Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster known for a long, steady career calling a broad range of events on television and radio. He worked across multiple networks and became especially associated with professional bowling late in his career. Schenkel's voice and presence made him a familiar figure to sports audiences from the earliest years of televised football through the closing years of the 20th century.
Early in his television career Schenkel participated in several pioneering broadcasts. In 1947 he was the announcer for what has been described as the first American football game televised, the classic service academy matchup between Harvard and Army. He later became the voice of professional football in New York, beginning to call games for the New York Giants in the early 1950s and teaming with other prominent broadcasters for marquee contests such as the 1958 NFL championship.
Major assignments and range of sports
- Boxing — early television bouts and occasional prime-time fights.
- Triple Crown horse racing events and other top thoroughbred coverage.
- The Masters and other golf tournaments, a recurring part of his schedule.
- College football, including regional and national broadcasts.
- Major League Baseball and professional baseball telecasts.
- NBA basketball games during national television windows.
- Tennis and other individual sports assignments.
- Auto racing events and a variety of motorsport features.
- Summer and Winter Olympic Games coverage among his occasional major-event roles.
Beginning in the mid-1960s Schenkel joined a major network sports division, where he was used as a dependable lead and secondary voice across a wide slate of events. While he covered many headline sports, he developed a long-term relationship with professional bowling and became the recognizable television personality for the sport's telecasts.
Awards, honors and legacy
Schenkel received numerous professional honors in recognition of his longevity and consistently professional delivery. He was named National Sportscaster of the Year on multiple occasions and in 1992 received a lifetime-achievement Emmy. That same year the Pro Football Hall of Fame presented him with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. In 1999 he was given a lifetime achievement award named for the athlete Jim Thorpe, and the Professional Bowlers Association later honored him by attaching his name to its Player of the Year trophy.
Schenkel's career is often cited as an example of mid-20th-century sportscasting: versatile, workmanlike and adaptable to many different sports. He commented on high-profile games and routine telecasts alike, and his long association with bowling introduced that sport to television audiences beyond the bowling centers. Today his contributions are remembered both in award citations and in the recordings of broadcasts that document the development of televised sports.
For further information on particular events, teams and awards associated with Schenkel's career, see linked topics such as the early televised football broadcast (televised football), historic college matchups (Harvard vs Army), major professional teams (New York Giants), and organizations he worked with, including the Professional Bowlers Association. More context about sports he covered is available via links on boxing (boxing), horse racing (Triple Crown), golf (golf), baseball (Major League Baseball), basketball (NBA), tennis (tennis), auto racing (auto racing) and the Olympic Games (Olympics).