NEW YORK -- Ronald Reagan's career as a sports announcer has been over-shadowed by political and motion picture careers, but the President-elect believes his historic position in the former is secure as the broadcaster of the first instant replay.
'It happened during the Drake Relays in 1935,' recalled Reagan in an interview with CBS sports broadcaster Vin Scully to be aired at halftime of the Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game Thursday. 'It was the day Jesse Owens broke three American records.
'Well, allday I'd been talking about the quarter mile, the 440,' continued Reagan. 'All day long I had been telling the audience that this quarter mile was going to be the greatest event.
'Just between events a public relations man brought the president of Drake University into the broadcasting booth to say a few words to the audience and I sat there and listened to him speak into our microphone while I watched the quarter-mile event I'd been talking about all day.
'When he signed off, I just couldn't tell the audience it was all over so I just said, 'we're just in time for the event. I got out my watch and knew it had to take about 48 seconds and I took them off and round the track and brought them in 1, 2, 3. There was no roar from the crowd so I explained that was because they were stunned by the sheer drama of the event.'
Reagan, who broadcast sports from 1932 to 1937, recalled doing Chicago Cubs and White Sox baseball games, Iowa and Notre Dame football games and assorted other events.'
Reagan, who conceded he and other radio broadcasters of the time often made up colorful descriptions, recalled an announcer (probably Bill Stern) who realized at the last moment that he had the wrong man running for a touchdown and got out of it by saying, 'Brown lateralled to Smith, who scored.'
'The next spring the famous Clem McCarthy called the wrong horse as the winner of the Preakness,' Reagan said. 'Someone asked him, 'how could you call the wrong horse,' and he answered, 'well, you can't lateral a horse.''
