Sports broadcasting legend Bob Costas made his return to Johnstown this weekend for two Tomahawks games.
Costas has close ties to Johnstown. The first professional game he ever called was at the War Memorial just over 50 years ago between the Syracuse Blazers and the Johnstown Jets. He stopped back this weekend to reminisce and show his son where he got his start.
His voice is behind some of the greatest moments in sports history. He’s done play-by-play for multiple World Series and NBA Finals and hosted seven Super Bowls and 12 Olympic games.
As a senior at Syracuse University, he got his first gig calling professional sports as the commentator for the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).
“I had almost no background in hockey. I had only been to two hockey games in person in my life, but the opportunity presented itself and I went down to the station and gave them a tape of a basketball game I had done between Syracuse and Rutgers, they were in no position to be choosy, it was only a week before the season was going to start and they were offering $30 a game, and $5 a day meal money on the road," said Costas.
It just so happened that his first game in the booth was the Johnstown Jets home opener in 1973. He says it means a lot to return to where his career started and bring his son with him.
"It was an important part of my life and an important part of my career, and my son who now works for the Major League Baseball network, he has been with me at almost every interesting thing I've done since he was five years old. This is one aspect of my career that he had heard about, but never directly experienced," said Costas.
The last time he was in Johnstown was nine years ago when the city won the Kraft USA Hockeyville competition and hosted a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on NBC, where Costas was one of the hosts.
This time, he dropped the puck at the game on Friday and announced the starting lineup on Saturday night. He says the arena looks different in a lot of ways, but there are still parts that remind him of when he was there.
“The feeling of the bowl is exactly the same, the capacity is exactly the same, the press box has not been upgraded, the press box is pretty much the same, and some of the people are the same. Some of the ushers are the same, some people came up to me and said I remember you from then, so, wow," said Costas.
Costas says he doesn’t know when or if he will return to the area but says it holds a special place in his heart.
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