News 12 Long Island's award-winning sportscaster Bob Wolff, who has been recognized by Guinness World Records for having the "Longest Career as a Sports Broadcaster," plans on extending that mark.
Wolff, now in his 73rd year in broadcasting, 66 on the television side, has signed a two-year contract renewal with Cablevision's News 12 unit at the age of 91.
Wolff ‘s professional life dates to 1939 when he worked at WDNC-CBS while a freshman at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Among the highlights of his distinguished career: The calls of Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series and the 1958 NFL championship contest won by the Baltimore Colts over the New York Giants, in the "greatest game ever played," and the telecast that is widely credited with starting pro football's move toward becoming the preeminent sport in the U.S.
"For 25 years, we've been thrilled and honored to count Bob Wolff as a member of the News 12 family," Patrick Dolan, president, News 12 Networks and News 12 Long Island news director, said in a statement. "Bob is more than a sportscaster---he's a broadcast legend. And he's still hitting it out of the park as evidenced by his recent New York Emmy nomination. His genius and relentless work ethic have been an inspiration for scores of young sport professionals at News 12 and elsewhere. Whenever Bob's on the air, he makes us better. We're thrilled that he's agreed to stay onboard."
Noted Wolff, who began working for News 12, when it launched in 1986, "This has been a wonderful journey and I'm still enjoying every moment. I've been privileged to work with some of the best professionals in the business and for that I am truly grateful. I feel enormously lucky that I have been a professional sports broadcaster in nine decades, beginning on CBS in 1939, providing play-by-play of some of the most memorable games in sports history. And I look forward to continuing to cover sports for News 12 Long Island."
The Phi Beta Kappa graduate became a sports television pioneer in 1946 when he joined DuMont Network's WTTG-TV as the first telecaster in Washington, D.C. He was also the first basketball team telecaster in history, calling play-by-play for the Red Auerbach-coached Washington Capitols in their inaugural 1946-1947 season.
During his 15 years in D.C., Wolff became the television voice of the Washington Senators beginning in 1947.
He also had a 36-year television run as MSG play-by-play broadcaster, where he held the record for telecasting more MSG events than any other sportscaster, including long-running tenures as the TV voice of the New York Knicks, the Rangers, numerous college basketball teams, the National Invitation Tournament, the Millrose Games, Virginia Slims Tennis, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and the National Horse Show.
He's also been the national play-by-play voice for NBC, ABC and the Mutual Broadcasting System's "Game of the Week" in baseball, and college football and the local television play caller for eight pro teams in five sports. On the college scene, he was a popular play caller for Maryland, Navy and St. John's.
Over the course of his career, Wolff holds the rare distinction of having broadcast the play-by-play championships in all four major professional sports: baseball's World Series, hockey's Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA and NFL championships.
In 2003, he became the first person to capture the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association's Triple Crown of awards. He was inducted into the NSSA Hall of Fame and was also selected as New York State Sportscaster of the Year for the sixth time and received the national Powerade Award for Best Sportscast for the Bob Wolff Baseball Scrapbook show on the MSG Network.
That same year, he was also inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame. In 1995, he was honored with baseball's prestigious Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball and was inducted into the broadcast wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In July 2008, he was voted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame with the Curt Gowdy Award, joining Curt as the only two sportscasters to be in both the basketball and the baseball halls. Wolff has also been honored by selection to the Hall of Fame of his collegiate fraternity- Sigma Nu.
Wolff resides in Rockland County, New York, with his wife Jane. They have two sons and a daughter. The "Wolffpack" now includes nine grandchildren.
