Ted Husing

Edward Britt "Ted" Husing (November 27, 1901 – August 10, 1962) was an American sportscaster and was among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting on television and radio.

Husing was born in the Bronx, New York, and given the name Edmund. (One source says Husing was born in Deming, New Mexico. Another says, "Husing was born in New Mexico, and while still in knee breeches was moved across to [sic] the United States to Gloversville, N.Y.")

The youngest of three children of immigrant German parents, he was the only one to survive childhood. His father, Henry, was a fan of middleweight boxing champ Jimmy Edward Britt. By his tenth birthday, the boy's name was changed to Edward Britt Husing. As a teenager, he took on the tag of "Ted" and the nickname stuck. He was active in four sports at Stuyvesant High School and was all-scholastic center in football.

At age 16, he joined the National Guard and in World War I was assigned to stand watch over New York's harbor. Following the war, he floated between jobs such as carnival barker and payroll clerk. After he won an audition over 500 other applicants for announcer at New York City radio station WHN, Husing found his life's calling. He was schooled under the tutelage of pioneer broadcaster Major J. Andrew White. There he covered breaking news stories and political conventions and assisted White during football commentaries.

By 1926, Husing was working at WJZ, which made him "its specialist in announcing dance programs." A newspaper article reported that Husing was selected for the job "out of 610 applications for the position of announcer at station WJZ."

As an announcer, Husing's rapid manner of speech earned him the nickname Mile a Minute Husing. His use of descriptive language combined with a commanding voice made his broadcasts must-listen events. By 1927, he was voted seventh most popular announcer in a national poll. Following a pay dispute, he moved to Boston, where he broadcast Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) baseball games.

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