Wayne Cody
| Wayne Cody | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 4, 1936 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | June 7, 2002 (aged 65) Renton, Washington, United States |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Radio and television sportscaster |
Wayne (Wendel) Cody (September 4, 1936 – June 7, 2002) was an American popular radio and television sportscaster who spent the bulk of his career in Seattle, broadcasting on KIRO and KIRO-TV. In all, he spent 14 years on KIRO TV and 21 on KIRO Radio. In radio alone, he made more than 43,000 sportscasts.
Cody was born on September 4, 1936 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was the only son of Wendel Wayne Cody (1904–1985), a Vaudeville musician and radio broadcaster [1] Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia and Ethel (Sack) Cody (1895–1957), a Vaudeville musician and actress on Broadway. The family moved to Philadelphia shortly after Cody's birth. He often described his early childhood as being very lonely and sheltered, a situation compounded by his obesity. At a young age he would appear on his Father's radio program (The Uncle Wip Show). Cody's Father and Mother divorced when he was 12 and his father remarried and moved the family to Salt Lake City, Utah. Cody attended East High School where he was an average student but enjoyed music and drama class. At age 16, Cody decided to pursue a career in radio and acting. After graduation he began his career working in the mailroom at KNEB, an AM radio station in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Almost immediately, he was asked to fill in for the vacationing weatherman, and within a few months he was announcing station breaks.He also had a stint in Kokomo, In. at WIOU radio as sports voice of the Kokomo HS Wildkats.
Cody met Judy Carter (1943- ) who is related to Lynda Carter, in Danville, Illinois when he was working at the local Radio Station (WDAN) and television station WICD Channel 24 owned by Adam Young Television who also owned Channels 33 and 3 in Champaign-Urbana. Cody had his own daily television show "The Wayne Cody Show" where he was known for his amazing ability to improvise and ad-lib. In addition, he became quite popular through the entire Tri-State region for his hilarious and informative weather broadcasts. Cody performed in hundreds of live television commercials and interviewed Dick Van Dyke live on television during Danville, Illinois' "Dick Van Dyke Day" in 1962. He was also an avid golfer. Wayne Cody and Judy Carter were married in 1963 and two years later set off for Hollywood on the advice of his friend Dick VanDyke who was also from Danville. VanDyke was starring in the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show at the time. Cody's original ambition was to be an actor, but his success in this field was limited. Cody had been a regular in summer-stock musicals and plays. On the way to L.A. they had their first baby in Visalia, California - Shay Cody (1965 - ). Cody was cast in a pilot that was never picked up, and had a brief appearance on The Red Skelton Show.
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