By The Greater Astoria Historical Society
On March 22, 1952, sportscaster Bob Costas was born in Astoria. His family later moved to Commack, L.I. He attended, although did not graduate from, Syracuse University.
Costas is well−regarded in the sports broadcasting industry as a smart interviewer with an encyclopedic knowledge. He is also known to have a sense of humor. He is a devoted baseball fan and has been suggested as a potential commissioner.
Costas has won multiple Sportscaster of the Year awards from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and nearly 20 Emmy awards. In 1999, Costas was a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Award for outstanding contributions to baseball.
After doing sports radio work in the St. Louis, Mo., area, Costas took a job at NBC in 1980. He anchored NBC’s pre− and post−game shows for NFL broadcasts and pre− and post−game shows for numerous World Series and baseball All−Star Games. After he got the chance to do play−by−play for the 1997 World Series, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality.
He has done football and horse racing announcing and broadcasts for the Olympic games. Costas hosts the radio show “Costas on the Radio,” which is focused on a wide range of topics and is not limited to sports discussion. He is a regular substitute anchor for Larry King.
But Costas’ first love is baseball. He carries a Mickey Mantle baseball card in his wallet and was asked to deliver the eulogy at the Yankee legend’s funeral. He described Mantle as “a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic.”
The Greater Astoria Historical Society is open Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. at Quinn’s Gallery, Fourth Floor, 35−20 Broadway, in Long Island City.
For more information, call at 718−278−0700 or visit astorialic.org.
