PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Curt Gowdy, a mainstay in the heyday of network television sportscasts and the first sports broadcaster to win a Peabody Award, died Monday at the age of 86.
Gowdy died in Palm Beach, Fla., of leukemia, a spokesman for the family told The New York Times.
Gowdy had a welcome-sounding soft drawl and quiet style that recalled his native Wyoming and earned him the nickname Cowboy. He was the main play-by-play broadcaster for NBC for years, calling 10 World Series, pro football including seven Super Bowls, and several NCAA basketball championships, the Times said.
He was perhaps best known for his long-running series "The American Sportsman," in which he and another celebrity -- big names from entertainment and sports -- would hunt or fish.
Born in Green River, Wyo., Gowdy's first job as a broadcaster was covering 6-man high school football in Cheyenne, Wyo., the Times said. He later did calls of the University of Oklahoma before moving to New York and Boston, where he was the main Red Sox announcer for 15 seasons.
He won a Peabody Award in 1970 for his sports broadcasting.
Gowdy is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and five grandchildren.
