Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Times-Union Staff Writer and Associated Press reports
FORT WAYNE - Long-time Tippecanoe Lake resident and sportscaster Chris Schenkel died Sunday following a long battle with emphysema. He was 82.
His easygoing baritone won over fans during a more-than-six-decades broadcasting career, in which he covered everything from bowling to the Olympics.
Schenkel's wife, Fran, said she and the couple's two sons were at her husband's side when he passed away early Sunday at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, where he had been hospitalized for two weeks after undergoing surgery for a bleeding ulcer.
'He was a very, very sincere, loving man who loved what he did,' said Fran Schenkel, noting they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in January.
Schenkel's radio and television career included virtually every major sports competition and several pioneering broadcasts.
He was the first to cover the Masters Tournament on television in 1956; the first to call a college football game coast-to-coast on ABC; and the first to serve as live sports anchor from the Olympics, in Mexico City, in 1968.
His career highlights included calling gymnast Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and calling the 1958 NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants.
He was the longtime voice of the Professional Bowlers Association, entertaining a generation of viewers with his Saturday afternoon broadcasts.
George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports, called Schenkel a pioneering sportscaster and a 'true gentleman.'
'Everyone at ABC and ESPN mourns the loss of a great friend and colleague. Chris was a pioneer in sports television and was the pre-eminent play-by-play announcer to a generation of sports fans,' Bodenheimer said in a statement. 'More importantly, he was a true gentleman, beloved by all. He treated everyone with respect and friendship.'
San Diego Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman, who was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame last month, spent about 10 years working with Schenkel at CBS beginning in 1963 and shared the duties with him on several occasions.
'He was a sparkling broadcaster and a delightful man,' said Coleman. 'Chris wasn't controversial. You had fun with him, and those are the kind of guys I like. Chris was never really dramatically sensitive or dramatically important. He just wanted to be what he was - Chris Schenkel. He was just a nice person and we had a lot of fun together.'
Schenkel was born Aug. 21, 1923, on his parents' farm in Bippus, Ind., one of six children. His parents, second generation German immigrants, managed a grain and feed business.
He launched his career as a high school announcer in Bippus and continued as a sportscaster on Purdue radio station WBAA while attending the university. He graduated with a degree in pre-med. During World War II, he fought in the Philippines and later in Korea, as an infantry platoon leader, achieving the rank of first lieutenant. He returned home to find a radio job in Richmond, before moving into television in Providence, R.I.
In 1947, he assumed TV play-by-play duties for Harvard University football. Schenkel was hired by CBS in 1952 and began a 13-year run as the television voice of the New York Giants that included calling the 1958 NFL championship game with Chuck Thompson. He joined ABC Sports in 1965.
Schenkel also had a long association with the Indianapolis 500. During the 1971 race, Schenkel, astronaut John Glenn and Tony Hulman, the late owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, were passengers in the Dodge Challenger pace car when it skidded into a bleacher full of photographers.
Twenty-two people were injured, including Schenkel, who suffered a broken shoulder.
Schenkel was inducted into 16 halls of fame, including the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters and College and Pro Football halls, and he won an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1993.
During the past couple of years, Fran Schenkel said her husband received numerous letters from soldiers serving in Iraq whom she said apparently had seen some of his film appearances. Aside from his work on sports documentaries, Schenkel portrayed himself in several films, including the 1996 comedy 'Kingpin.'
'They must have been showing a lot of his films in Iraq. We got a lot of mail from the soldiers over there. They'd ask for a picture and we'd send them and write back to the boys,' Fran Schenkel said. 'He felt very good about it.'
Schenkel was one of the prime movers in the creating the International Palace of Sports King of Sports program in North Webster.
He and his family moved to Tippecanoe Lake in 1971, next door to his sister and her husband. The Schenkels spent their summers in the area for many years before moving here from Manhattan. The popular sportscaster kept a private plane at the Warsaw Municipal Airport and flew to Fort Wayne's Baer Field and then on to New York to meet his demanding schedule.
Because of his involvement in Indian affairs, he was given an honorary chieftainship in the Miami Indian Council of Indiana. In December 1986, Chief John R. Thorpe, son of the legendary Jim Thorpe, bestowed on Schenkel the title of honorary chief of the Sac and Fox Tribe in Stroud, Okla., for his "work and dedication to the American Indian." It was the first time such recognition had been given.
In addition to his wife, Schenkel is survived by his daughter Christiana and sons Ted and John, and several grandchildren.
