Sam Rosen (sportscaster)
| Sam Rosen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Samuel J. Rosenblum August 12, 1947 Ulm, Germany |
| Residence | New York City |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) | Jill L. Eisenberg |
| Children |
Matthew Rosen Garrett Rosen |
Sam Rosen (born Samuel Rosenblum, August 12, 1947)[1] is an American sportscaster, best known as the primary play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's New York Rangers games on MSG. On June 8, 2008, Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Rosen's current responsibilities include Rangers telecasts, Chicago Bears preseason football for WFLD, and Sunday NFL games for Fox. He is paired with Joe Micheletti on Rangers broadcasts, Jim Miller on Bears broadcasts, and Heath Evans on national Fox broadcasts.
Early history
Rosen was born Samuel Rosenblum in Ulm, Germany, to Polish parents of Jewish descent just after World War II. The Rosenblum family moved to Brooklyn, New York when Rosen was 2 years old. As a New York Yankees fan Rosen became a fan of their broadcaster Mel Allen. Rosen attended Stuyvesant High School and the City College of New York. At both schools Rosen was the captain of the baseball team and played catcher.[2] Rosen also played intramural basketball, and was on the track team in high school. Rosen grew up with an older brother, Stephen.
Broadcasting career
New York Rangers
From childhood on Rosen attended numerous New York Rangers games and taped himself doing play by play. Rosen was mentored by veteran Rangers broadcaster Jim Gordon.[2] From 1982 to 1984, he was the studio host on Ranger broadcasts, but was promoted to play-by-play in 1984, succeeding Gordon. Rosen's first partner was ex-Bruin and Ranger star Phil Esposito. Starting in 1986–87, when Esposito left to become Rangers General Manager, Rosen was paired with former Rangers goaltender John Davidson (nicknamed J.D.). The team would last 20 years together until Davidson left for a management position with the St. Louis Blues and later with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Together, Sam and J.D. would be the longest-serving NHL broadcast team.[3]
Beginning with the 2006–07 NHL season, Sam partnered with Joe Micheletti, who was New York Islanders TV color analyst with former Rangers radio announcer Howie Rose on Fox Sports Net New York.
Rosen's most famous call comes every time the Rangers score a goal on the power play. The call is simply the name of the player, followed by, "It's a power play goal!", but Sam uses a unique inflection which has been widely popular among Rangers fans and a staple of any Rangers broadcast.
However, his most memorable call was in 1994 when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years:
"The waiting is over—the New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup Champions! And this one will last a lifetime!"
Rosen's call is usually the most often-played of that moment. It is still the highest-rated game in MSG Network history.
Rosen was recognized before the Rangers-Islanders game on March 21, 2014 for thirty years of service with the MSG Network. They then did a special called "This One Will Last a Lifetime: 30 Years of Sam Rosen", which was announced at intermission as a surprise to Rosen by longtime partner and friend John Davidson.
Rosen has been told by the Rangers he can continue his position as long as he wishes. He has asked his family to inform him if they feel he is losing his edge due to age but is encouraged that Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is still considered a top broadcaster at age 85.[2]
Other broadcasting areas
While still in college Rosen worked in the news department at WINS.[2]
Prior to taking the Rangers play-by-play job in 1984, Rosen also served as a studio host for New York Knicks basketball telecasts on MSG.
Rosen was employed by ESPN from 1979 to 1988, calling a variety of sports for the network including hockey, college football, boxing, table tennis, Australian rules football, college baseball, and collegiate wrestling.
He handled play-by-play for NHL Radio, a partnership between the NHL and Westwood One. He has called the Stanley Cup playoffs on radio for many years, as well as the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympic Men's Hockey Tournaments.
Rosen has also been a play-by-play announcer for The NFL on Fox since 1996. Sam also calls preseason NFL games for the Chicago Bears and previously did this for the New York Giants for several seasons. Rosen's broadcasting partners have included Heath Evans, Kirk Morrison, Bill Maas, Brian Billick, Tim Ryan, and John Lynch.
Rosen was also the lead boxing announcer for the MSG Network until 1993. In 1989, he won the Sam Taub Award for excellence in boxing broadcasting journalism.[4]
Rosen has most recently joined the NHL crew at Versus (now the NBC Sports Network) calling games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the past two years. He was the play-by-play announcer for the Stanley Cup Finals on NHL Radio from 1996 to 2008.
Rosen was also a radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Cosmos. His call "It's a Cosmos Goal" predated and could be considered as the basis for his trademark power play call.
References
- ↑ Sprechman, Jordan; Shannon, Bill (1998), This Day in New York Sports, Sports Publishing LLC, p. 225, ISBN 978-1-57167-254-4, retrieved August 12, 2010
- 1 2 3 4 Best, Neil (October 11, 2013). "Waiting may be over, but Sam Rosen continues to last with Rangers". Newsday. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ↑ Kalinsky, George (2004). Garden of Dreams. New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. ISBN 1-58479-343-0.
- ↑ International Boxing Hall of Fame / BWAA Awards. ibhof.com
External links
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