Sports broadcaster Dave Diles dead - Hosted ABC Wide World of Sports and College Football Scoreboard

[Bozita]

IMHO, Dave Diles was the first of the cerebral sportscasters. See the video at the link.

http://www.freep.com/article/20091228/NEWS08/91228024/1320/Sports-broadcaster-Dave-Diles-dead-at-78

POSTED: 2:22 P.M. DEC. 28, 2009 | UPDATED: 9:22 P.M. TODAY
Sports broadcaster Dave Diles dead at 78
BY STEVE NEAVLING
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


Longtime local and national sports broadcaster, commentator and author Dave Diles died Sunday night at his Ohio home from complications of a recent stroke.

He was 78.

Diles was a mainstay of local sports for much of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s when he worked for WXYZ radio and WXYZ-TV. He hosted the first sports talk show in Detroit called “Dial Dave Diles” and narrated numerous documentaries on local sports history.

Diles gained national fame when he worked for ABC Sports for part of the ’70s and ’80s, hosting Wide World of Sports and the Prudential College Football Scoreboard.

He authored or co-authored eight books.

RELATED INFORMATION
No. 1 in sports

In 1992, former Free Press TV critic Mike Duffy ranked his “Detroit Television Hall of Fame.” He listed Dave Diles in 11th place, the first sports figure. (Bill Bonds and Soupy Sales were rated 1-2.)

Duffy’s comments:

“Smart, witty and irreverent, he was the best TV sportscaster Detroit ever had. A great foil for Bonds, the sardonic Diles and his crosstown rival, Al Ackerman, routinely did the sort of thing that isn’t very fashionable among too many of today’s local TV sportscasters. They actually attended the games, they actually did reporting. Gee, what a concept. As a result, there was always some real substance and perception to a Dave Diles sportscast. Channel 7 — and Detroit — could still use him.”



From the Detroit News:

Last Updated: December 27. 2009 11:52PM
Longtime sportscaster, Dave Diles, passes away
Detroit News staff


Former longtime local and national sportscaster Dave Diles passed away Sunday at his Ohio home, due to complications from a recent stroke. He was 78.

Diles worked for WXYZ radio in the early 1960s before working for ABC Sports and returning to WXYZ-TV in the late 70s through the mid-80s.

"He was difficult to get to know, but impossible not to love," said Bill Bonds, former news anchor at WXYZ. "Of all the guys I've worked with, he was the best writer."

Mort Meisner, former assignment manager at WXYZ, met Diles when he was 12 years old.

"When everyone was telling me to stay away from the business, he encouraged me to stay in," Meisner said. "He was a legendary presence on numerous levels."

Meisner and Diles wound up working together from 1979-81, and described Diles as "the one person who could go toe-to-toe with Bonds."

Bonds said Diles was the type of sportscaster that knew every important person in sports and covered his subjects from unique perspectives.
"He had impeccable sources," Bonds said. "He could exaggerate with credibility."

Bonds said jokingly that Diles knew he was good looking, but he could think too highly of himself at times.

"He was also a great athlete," Bonds said. "But not as great as he liked to think."

"He had incredible recall for detail and impact of the games he covered, and he was superb behind the microphone. I'll miss him dearly."

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091227/SPORTS07/912270337/1361/Longtime-sportscaster--Dave-Diles--passes-away

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

1. Too bad!

I grew up in Detroit and remember him. RIP Dave.............