Future media pioneer Roone Arledge applied to Columbia because he wanted to be a sportswriter and learn from the Columbia Journalism School. What he didn’t realize was that the J-School was a graduate program only, so he enrolled in Columbia College.
From the moment he stepped foot on campus, Arledge became entrenched in the fabric of Columbia. He spent his first year on the freshman wrestling squad and went on to become president of his fraternity and serve as the editor of the 1952 Columbian, the school yearbook.
Even though he was not a varsity athlete, Arledge was committed to remaining close to sports. And over time, he would become one of the most indelible voices in television sports, all without appearing on camera.
In a television career that spanned half a century, Arledge was the architect of virtually all of the storytelling techniques used by sports broadcasters today – from slow motion replays to strategically placed crowd microphones. But beyond the storytelling was his vision of bringing the stadium into the home.
As President of ABC Sports from 1968-86, he was responsible for launching Monday Night Football, the longest-running prime time series in American TV history. Tapping fellow Columbia Athletics Hall of Famer, Chet Forte, to direct and adding Howard Cosell to a three-man booth made it a sports TV experience like no other.
And it was Arledge who almost single-handedly turned the Olympic Games from a small festival of sports into a global phenomenon.
In his career, which included a successful stint as the chair and president of ABC News, Arledge won 37 Emmys and was named one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th Century by Life Magazine in 1990.
Always loyal to Columbia, Arledge was awarded the college’s highest distinctions – receiving the John Jay Award and Alexander Hamilton Medal. He was also named a Columbian Ahead of His Time during the Columbia 250 Celebration in 2004.
Today, two campus venues: the auditorium in Lerner Hall, as well as the Journalism School’s TV studio in Pulitzer Hall are named in his honor.
Â
