Trisha Shetty (Editor)

CBS Sports Spectacular

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Presented by
  
See host section

Original language(s)
  
English

First episode date
  
3 January 1960

Number of seasons
  
54

Genre
  
Anthology series

Country of origin
  
United States

No. of seasons
  
54

Network
  
CBS

Program creator
  
CBS Sports

Language
  
English

Also known as
  
'The CBS Sports Spectacular (1960–1975 and 1979–1981)The CBS Sports Special (1976–1978)CBS Sports Saturday/Sunday (1981–1994)Eye on Sports (1994–1995)The CBS Sports Show (1995–1996)

Opening theme
  
See theme music section

Similar
  
PGA Tour on CBS, College Basketball on CBS, SEC on CBS, The NFL Today, CBS Dream Team

Cbs sports spectacular opening 1979


CBS Sports Spectacular is a sports anthology television program that is produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. The series began on January 3, 1960 as The CBS Sports Spectacular, and has been known under many different names, including CBS Sports Saturday, CBS Sports Sunday, Eye on Sports and The CBS Sports Show.

Contents

The program continues to air on an irregular basis on weekend afternoons, especially during the late spring and summer months. Normally it airs pre-recorded "time-buy" sports events produced by outside companies, such as supercross or skiing competitions, or sponsored documentaries.

Hosts

Hosts of the program have included John "Bud" Palmer, Jack Whitaker, Brent Musburger, Pat Summerall, Jim Kelly, Dick Stockton, Tim Brant, Greg Gumbel, Pat O'Brien, Andrea Joyce and Michele Tafoya.

Under its current format, the program does not have a regular host.

Memorable moments

  • 1977 World's Strongest Man – The inaugural event featured the likes of Bruce Wilhelm, Lou Ferrigno and Ken Patera
  • 1978 Belmont Stakes – Affirmed over Alydar to become the horse racing Triple Crown winner until American Pharoah in 2015.
  • 1979 Daytona 500 – The first 500-mile race to be broadcast in its entirety live on national television in the United States.
  • Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals – The New York Islanders would defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime, 5–4, to win their first ever Stanley Cup championship. This would be the last National Hockey League game to air on American network television until the 1990 All-Star Game aired on NBC.
  • 2008 Reebok Grand Prix – Usain Bolt breaks the men's 100m world record for the first time with a sprint of 9.72 seconds.

    • Theme music

    An original composition by Edd Kalehoff featuring scat vocals was used as the theme for The CBS Sports Spectacular beginning in 1970. From 1976 to 1978, the Electric Light Orchestra's "Fire on High" was used as the theme for the program (when it was known as The CBS Sports Special). In 1979, the program switched to an "in-house" version of American composer Aaron Copland's symphonic instrumental "Fanfare For The Common Man", which was used until 1980. The CBS version of "Fanfare" – clocking in at 1 minute and eight seconds – was styled after the 9 minute, 40 second version recorded by UK progressive rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer on its 1977 LP, Works Volume 1.

    For CBS' Super Bowl XVI coverage at the end of the 1981 NFL season, CBS' theme music would eventually become the theme for CBS Sports Saturday/Sunday. The music itself could be considered a hybrid of the theme used at the time for The NFL Today and their original college basketball theme.

    References

    CBS Sports Spectacular Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA