PETOSKEY, Mich., July 26 (UPI) -- Bill Flemming, an announcer on ABC's "Wide World of Sports" also known for his coverage of Olympics, college football and golf, died in Michigan at age 80.
Flemming died last Friday in Petoskey, Mich., of prostate cancer, his son, W. Mason Flemming said.
For more than six decades, Flemming was one of the distinctive voices in sports broadcast journalism, The New York Times reported Thursday. He announced 11 Olympics and more than 600 events for "Wide World of Sports," once shuttling from venues in Ireland to California to Bavaria in one month.
Among his successes was securing an interview with Bobby Fischer, the reclusive U.S. chess champ, during his 1972 matches with Boris Spassky in Iceland.
Flemming made his first network appearance as a temporary replacement on NBC's "Today" show, which led to his helping in the telecast of the 1957 U.S. Open golf tournament, the Times said.
In 1961, Flemming joined "Wide World of Sports," ABC's new sports anthology show.
In addition to his son, Flemming is survived by his daughter, Lindy Flemming, of Larkspur, Calif., and two grandsons.
