ST. LOUIS — In 1974, Robert Quinlan Costas came to St. Louis, Missouri. He was a 22-year-old recent graduate of Syracuse University.
He was personally hired by the venerable General Manager of KMOX Radio, Robert Hyland. Costas was assigned to be the play-by-play broadcaster for a new basketball team in the ABA called the Spirits of St. Louis.
When he first was introduced to Jack Buck, Jack asked him how old he was. Costas said, “I’m 22.” Buck cracked, “I have ties older than you kid.”
Decades later, after watching Costas host the Olympics in almost flawless fashion, Buck actually said, “Bob Costas is the greatest television sportscaster of all time.”
His 28 National Emmy awards seem to back that up. Costas hosted 12 Olympic Games from 1992 to 2016. He called NBC’s Game of the Week and had the classic calls on the Ryne Sandberg home runs.
He called Michael Jordan’s championship-winning shot in 1998. His national-based radio show, “Costas Coast to Coast” was sports radio at it’s finest. He later branched away from sports with the program "Later" on NBC.
Now at age 69, he is hardly slowing down. Costas’ new program is called “Back on the Record With Bob Costas.”
He also has does hits on CNN and worked for Turner Sports during the Major League Baseball Playoffs.
This week Costas was our special guest on Sports Plus.
He discussed everything from his legacy to what he would change if he were the commissioner of baseball for a day to the Rams lawsuit drama to why he is not afraid to talk politics when sports are involved.