COSELL, HOWARD SOUVENIR PIN

Howard Cosell ( Howard Cohen; 1920-1995). One of the most controversial personalities in the history of American broadcasting, Cosell was a World War II army major and a New York City lawyer before he joined the American Broadcasting Company as a radio sports reporter in 1956. He attracted national attention for the first time in 1959 with his commentaries on world heavyweight fights. His interviews with Cassius Clay created interest and amusement. Much of Cosell's early television work revolved around the heavyweight titleholder. He was the first person to publicly use the champion's Black Muslim name, and in 1967 he vigorously defended Muhammad Ali against charges of draft evasion. In the emotion-charged era of the Vietnam War and civil rights agitation, Cosell's actions evoked a storm of protest and expressions of anti-Semitism. Many demanded he be fired but he was not. In 1970 he became the star of the reporting team of "Monday Night Football." The great success of the weekday telecast of the National Football League game was attributed to Cosell. Exciting game or not, people stayed tuned just to hear what Cosell had to say about the contest, the players, the coaches, the host city, and just about anything else. The product of a non-religious family, Cosell never had a bar mitzvah and had never involved himself in the life of the Jewish community. That all changed after his 1972 Olympic Games experience. The murder of Israeli athletes in Munich, West Germany, made him feel "intensely Jewish," and he joined the American Friends of the Hebrew University, which built the Howard Cosell Center for Physical Education in Jerusalem. He quit "Monday Night Football" after the 1983 season and retired from A.B.C. Television in 1985. The following year he became a sports columnist for the New York Daily News. Presented here is a vintage souvenir pin of Howard Cosell which dates to the 1970's.
This is an original, metallic, souvenir pin. Bold color and print. Pin firmly attached. No dents. No rust or pitting. Clean. 1 3/4" in diameter.