JIM MCKAY, SPORTS JOURNALIST AND "WITNESS TO TERROR" AT MUNICH GAMES IN 1972

Veteran ABC sportscaster, Jim McKay, died Saturday at 86. McKay was one of the best sportscasters in the history of televised sports. His name and voice were known worldwide through his decades-long association with ABC's Wide World of Sports. The show's intro by McKay:

"Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is ABC's Wide World of Sports!"

Human Drama: While covering the Munich games in 1972, McKay was suddenly thrust into the spotlight as he anchored "live" ABC News coverage of Arab terrorists taking Israeli athletes hostage.

The crisis stretched on for nearly 24 hours; at its conclusion, 11 Israeli athletes were dead--Munich Massacre. When McKay received on-air clearance, he turned to the camera and reported to the world, "They're all gone."--continue reading.

McKay's Munich report:



Members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team, photographed just before their departure for Munich. The 11 team members taken hostage and subsequently murdered were: 1) wrestling referee Yossef Gutfreund (inset), age 40; 2) wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg, 33; 3) weightlifter Yossef Romano, 31; 4) weightlifter David Berger, 28; 5) weightlifter Ze'ev Friedman, 28; 6) wrestler Eliezer Halfin, 24; 7) track coach Amitzur Shapira, 40; 8) shooting coach Kehat Shorr, 53; 9) wrestler Mark Slavin, 18; 10) fencing coach Andre Spitzer, 27; and 11) weightlifting judge Yakov Springer, 51.

TIME cover story. BBC coverage.