 Born in New York, New York, on July 5,
1908, legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy covered approximately
2000 fights during his broadcasting career, including more than 200
title fights, 50 of which were for the heavy weight championship.
Dunphy got his start in radio broadcasting calling Football and
Minor League Baseball games, then in 1937, he became Sports
Director at WINS/New York. Two years later, in 1939, Dunphy made
his first blow-by-blow call of a boxing bout, beginning his more
than 40 year career as a boxing announcer. However, it wasn't until
two years later when he joined Gillette, to call Friday night
fights, that he burst onto the national scene. Dunphy called fights
for Gillette for the next 19 years, before moving to ABC to
announce fights on television in 1960. By the 1970's, Dunphy had
retired from network television; however, he continued to call
major fights on closed-circuit telecasts until his last bout in
1981. While Dunphy was most famous for announcing boxing, during
his career as a sportscaster he also broadcast Yankees games,
Cotton Bowls, Track and Field events, Bowling, Basketball, and
Horse Racing. Dunphy died July, 22, 1998 following heart surgery.
He was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters
Hall of Fame on April 8, 1986. |