Chet Forte
Encyclopedia
Fulvio Chester "Chet" Forte, Jr. (August 7, 1935 in Hackensack, New Jersey
– May 18, 1996 in San Diego, California
) was an American television
director
and sports radio
talk show host.
star at Hackensack High School
in Hackensack, New Jersey
. He was named to the Star-Ledger's Team of the Century in 1999. From there he starred at Columbia University
. In the 1956-57 season, he was named first-team All-American as a point guard
, and beat out the legendary Wilt Chamberlain
for player of the year. He was short for a basketball player, but shot with deadly accuracy from the outside -- the approximate location of today's three-point circle.
, Forte began working in TV, joining ABC Sports in the mid-1960s.
In 1970
, Forte was named the first director of Monday Night Football
. His ability to present the game as entertainment spectacle as well as sporting event, under the mandate of executive producer Roone Arledge
, made the show a huge success in both sports and pop culture.
addiction. ABC feared that this was affecting his job. That, as well as larger changes that included the departure of Howard Cosell
and the retirement of Arledge, led to his departure from ABC in the mid-1980s. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on 3 counts of mail fraud and tax evasion. He cooperated with the government and was spared prison time receiving a 5 yr. probation sentence.
program RollerGames
, which was highly rated and beat American Gladiators
in the ratings.
The next year, he became a talk show host at San Diego's XETRA, also known as "XTRA Sports 690." He co-hosted the Loose Cannons show with Steve Hartman
. On the show, he openly discussed his addiction and offered to help others in a similar situation.
at the age of 60. In the aftermath, there was a controversy about his medical treatment which led to his survivors filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Steven Gross. The family received a $
1.7 million settlement.
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
– May 18, 1996 in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
) was an American television
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
talk show host.
Early life
Forte's life in the sports world began as an All-State basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
star at Hackensack High School
Hackensack High School
Hackensack High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hackensack Public Schools...
in Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
. He was named to the Star-Ledger's Team of the Century in 1999. From there he starred at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In the 1956-57 season, he was named first-team All-American as a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
, and beat out the legendary Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
for player of the year. He was short for a basketball player, but shot with deadly accuracy from the outside -- the approximate location of today's three-point circle.
ABC Sports
After a brief career in the National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, Forte began working in TV, joining ABC Sports in the mid-1960s.
In 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, Forte was named the first director of Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. His ability to present the game as entertainment spectacle as well as sporting event, under the mandate of executive producer Roone Arledge
Roone Arledge
Roone Pickney Arledge, Jr. was an American sports broadcasting pioneer who was chairman of ABC News from 1977 until several years before his death, and a key part of the company's rise to competition with the two other main television networks, NBC and CBS, in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.-Early...
, made the show a huge success in both sports and pop culture.
Departure from ABC Sports
However, Forte hid a major problem behind the scenes: he had a gamblingGambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
addiction. ABC feared that this was affecting his job. That, as well as larger changes that included the departure of Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
and the retirement of Arledge, led to his departure from ABC in the mid-1980s. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on 3 counts of mail fraud and tax evasion. He cooperated with the government and was spared prison time receiving a 5 yr. probation sentence.
Post-ABC activities
In 1989, he directed the roller derbyRoller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
program RollerGames
RollerGames
RollerGames was a U.S. television series that presented a theatrical version of the sport of roller derby for a national audience, and featured a number of skaters who had been in the Roller Games league , as well as younger participants...
, which was highly rated and beat American Gladiators
American Gladiators
American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
in the ratings.
The next year, he became a talk show host at San Diego's XETRA, also known as "XTRA Sports 690." He co-hosted the Loose Cannons show with Steve Hartman
Steve Hartman (sportscaster)
Steve Hartman is currently the host of a national sports talk show on Fox Sports Radio based in Los Angeles, California. He is also the weekend sports anchor on KTLA television in L.A....
. On the show, he openly discussed his addiction and offered to help others in a similar situation.
Death
Forte was still on the air days before his death on May 18, 1996. In fact, a caller even complimented him and mentioned that somebody should recognize his career accomplishments. He was known to enjoy unhealthy foods, so it probably should come as no surprise that he died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of 60. In the aftermath, there was a controversy about his medical treatment which led to his survivors filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Steven Gross. The family received a $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.7 million settlement.