Jim McKay: 1921-2008

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)
Jim McKay poses at his farm in Monkton, Md., in 1997.

The passing this morning of legendary sportscaster Jim McKay at age 86, on the day his beloved sport of horse racing could find itself with a Triple Crown winner, seems almost serendipitous.
The stories on the wire services and on the New York Times will cover in greater detail McKay's greatest journalistic moment -- his coverage of the hostage killing at the 1972 Munich Olympics -- but to us, the face of ABC's "Wide World Of Sports" really made a much broader impact on the sports scene.

Here are some of the responses that have come in so far to his passing of James Kenneth McManus:
=Sean McManus, the president CBS News and Sports, on behalf of his family: "There are not many men who achieved what Jim McKay achieved both professionally and personally. He had a flawless reputation and was a legendary figure in the history of sports television. However, with all his achievements the most important thing in his life was his family."
==Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, who worked with McKay for six years at ABC, starting as a 19-year-old researcher: "He was truly the most respected and admired sportscaster of his generation and defined how the stories of sports can and should be covered. While we all know what an absolute titan he was in his chosen field, I will always remember him as an extraordinary human being guided by a strong moral compass. He was the best husband to his wife, an extraordinary father to his own children and for all of us who had the privilege to grow up around him as boys, he helped shape us into men."
==Al Michaels: "He was the personification of class and style. There has never been a more respected individual in the business and deservedly so. His love for life could only be matched by his love for Margaret. His enthusiasm permeated every event he covered and thus always made it far more interesting. I always thought of him as a favorite teacher. He was so into whatever it was he was doing that he drew you into every event he covered."
==Bob Costas: "Jim McKay was a singular broadcaster. He brought a reporter's eye, a literate touch, and above all a personal humanity to every assignment. He had a combination of qualities seldom seen in the history of the medium, not just sports."

More from ESPN's reporting on this morning's "SportsCenter":