I grew up listening to Curt Gowdy broadcast Red Sox games in the late 50's early 60's, and like many of you the American Sportsman was my favorite show growing up.
I actually met him a couple of times. I worked on the Bobsled and Luge track in Lake Placid during the 1980 Olympics, and I did see two of the USA hocky games, though not The game). He broadcast the Luge events and I worked on the finish line at the track. On TV the whole event is done in 20 minutes or so but the reality is that it takes a few hours per run X 4 runs, practice etc. Well there is a lot of down time so being a hunter and fisherman my self we talked a lot about our favorite pastimes. I still look back at it and think in amazement, here we are at the Olympics and I'm talking hunting fishing all day with Curt Gowdy. He was a very humble and likable guy. I was just a poor kid doing the ski bum thing, but he appreciated where I was coming from. I asked him about fishing in Labrador back in the 50's & 60's with Lee Wulff and he told me all about it. I eventually fished 3 times on the Minipi River watershed right where he and Lee fished, and though the fishing today is not the same as when they pioneered that area I did catch an 8 1/4 pound Brook Trout. Anothe trip I caught 5 brookies in 3 hours that totaled 32 pounds (all phohographed and released).
I met his wife one evening as well and what a gracious woman. When he was broadcasting sports she usually traveled with him, probably one reason they had such a long and happy life. When he passed away it brought back many happy memories. His funeral procession passed by Fenway Park in Boston for a tribute, and where the fans still claim him as their own, and where he got his first big break in broadcasting.
But all of us will remember him first and foremost as the consumate hunter and fisherman.
John M. , A Connecticut Yankee
