Don Wittman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use Canadian English Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image

Donald Rae Wittman (October 9, 1936[1] – January 19, 2008) was a Canadian sportscaster.

Early life and education

Born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, Wittman attended the University of Saskatchewan and got his start in the field of broadcasting as a news reporter with CFQC radio in Saskatoon in 1955.[2]

Career

Wittman began his long association with CBC Sports on January 1, 1961. He joined CBWT's supper-hour news program 24Hours in 1970 as sports anchor alternating with Bob Picken. He also worked on Winnipeg Jets television and radio broadcasts.[3]

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wittman hosted Western Express, a half-hour weekly program broadcast in Western Canada that consisted of lottery ticket drawings for the lottery of the same name. The series format included Wittman co-hosting with media and community personalities from towns and cities across the region and conducting interviews between ticket drawings. (Western Express later changed its name to The Western and converted to a scratch-card lottery format).[4]

Four-storey building clad in white and grey siding, and a memorial plaque for the hostage incident
Israeli Olympic team's building in the Olympic Village

During the Munich massacre crisis at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Wittman and Bob Moir crawled through a hole in a fence to access the Olympic Village and give live reports, while posing as medical staff on the 1972 Canadian Olympic team.[5][6] Wittman and Moir were Script error: No such module "convert". away from the Israeli Olympic team building, and could see the nine hostages sitting in a circle, guarded by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. They filed radio reports to the CBC, and remained on location all day until the hostages were loaded onto a bus.[7]

In a 1994 interview, Moir discussed the decision to sneak into the Olympic Village by saying,

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

"We were young and stupid, I guess. [Wittman] and I have always done things like that. We always went after the story."[7]

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

As a sportscaster, Wittman covered many sports including athletics, baseball, basketball, golf, and was most known as a commentator and announcer for the CBC's CFL coverage, on Hockey Night in Canada, and for major Canadian and international curling tournaments.[2]

Famous events covered by Wittman include Donovan Bailey's 100m sprint world record at the 1996 Summer Olympics[2] and the infamous brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[8]

Death

On January 19, 2008, Wittman died as a result of cancer in a Winnipeg hospital surrounded by his family.[9][10] He was seventy-one years old, survived by his wife, Judy, two daughters, Karen and Kristen and a son, David.

Awards

Wittman won two ACTRA awards,[2] was named Broadcaster of the Year by Sports Media Canada in 2002,[11] and named to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2003.[12][13] He was inducted into the CBC Sports Hall of Fame in January 2008.[14][15] Wittman is an "Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  2. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Template:Replace on YouTubeScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Free access
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Free access
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Free access
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Further listening

  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

External links

Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check CBC Television Lead Curling announcer
1961–1968 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check CBC Television Lead Curling announcer
1983–2006 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check Stanley Cup Finals Canadian network television play-by-play announcer
1985–1986 (Wittman called games in Edmonton in 1985 and games Calgary in 1986 on CBC Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by

Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Commissioner's Award winners Template:Canadian Football Hall of Fame members

Script error: No such module "Authority control".

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Don_Wittman&oldid=3126283"