There are a handful of people through time who can claim to be the greatest sports broadcaster we’ve ever seen and heard. Whoever those people may be, they will nearly all take a back seat to Vin Scully — and they’d probably all willingly admit it. Scully, who passed away at age 94 on Tuesday, got his start on the main stage calling Brooklyn Dodgers games with the great Red Barber in 1950 (that is not a typo), and he did that job for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles iterations of the franchise through 2016.
But that’s not all Scully was able to do at the very highest level. He called NFL games for a very long time, and added his poetic voice to the PGA Tour, including The Masters.
For our purposes as a football site, let’s talk about Scully’s brilliance as a commentator for that sport. As was always the case, Scully was eminently prepared, and that allowed him to riff perfectly as the action happened. Scully’s most famous football game was the 1981 NFC Championship game between the Dallas Cowboys and the “upstart” San Francisco 49ers.
As you may remember, that game went in the 49ers’ favor with one of the most iconic plays — and calls — in pro football history: Joe Montana’s lofted pass to Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone.
We know it, of course, as “The Catch.”
You may have forgotten but in addition to all the baseball history on his resume, Vin Scully was also in the booth for “The Catch.” pic.twitter.com/cNbvlUxxcB
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) August 3, 2022
If you’d enjoy a master class in broadcasting that lasts over two hours, the NFL’s YouTube account has you covered: Here’s Scully and Hank Stram calling the entire game. This is Mozart as it should be played.
And here, just because we’re sports fans in general, is an excellent reel of Scully’s finest baseball calls.
With that, we bid a fond, tearful adieu to a true legend — Vincent Edward Scully.
