BOB BLACKBURN – Media
Recognized as a pro’s pro in the sports broadcasting field, Bob Blackburn was the original voice of the Seattle Supersonics. His nearly 60 year career included announcing over 7,000 sports events and 2,359 NBA games. His play-by-play coverage includes all major professional and collegiate sports. During 25 years with the Sonics, he was acclaimed among NBA’s top broadcasters.
HARRY MISSILDINE – Media
Legendary Inland Empire sports editor and columnist Harry Missildine spent nearly 30 years with the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, retiring in 1982. He was a six-days-a-week sports columnist covering Washington State University, University of Idaho and Gonzaga University sports. An accomplished golfer, winner of numerous titles, he wrote for Golf Digest and other publications. His career spanned over a half-century.
LES KEITER – Media
Les Keiter was born in Seattle in 1919 and attended the University of Washington before embarking on a career as a baseball play-by-play man, TV sports anchor, box announcer and other media roles. On a national scale, Keiter was most known for announcing boxing. He called the Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight in 1964. He was often paired with Howard Cosell on ABC radio. Keiter also called the action for the 1980 Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran “no mas” fight at the New Orleans Superdome.
Keiter served as sports director at WINS–AM in New York from the mid-1950s to 1963, mainly hosting the pre- and postgame shows for Yankees broadcasts. He also did play-by-play for the football Giants (1956–1959), Knicks (1955–1962) and Rangers. In 1963, he moved to Philadelphia, calling 76ers and college basketball games.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Keiter called action alongside Jesse Owns and did the play-fy-play for George Foreman’s gold medal boxing match. In 1970, he moved to Honolulu, where he had been stationed in the military and was the sports director at KHON-TV for 20 years.
GEORG MEYERS – Media
George Meyers worked at the Seattle Times for 34 years starting in 1949. He moved from news to sports in 1956 and became a columnist and sports editor. Before his time in Seattle, he covered the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles for a California newspaper. He wrapped up his career after covering the 1984 Olympics back in Los Angeles. In his time at the Times, Meyers saw Seattle emerge from a town with limited pro sports to one with teams in all the major pro sports.
