Chic Anderson
Encyclopedia
Charles David Anderson (December 17, 1931 – March 24, 1979) was an American
sportscaster
and public address
announcer
specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing
. He was one of American sports' most famous PA voices, and remains among its most revered race caller
s.
, Anderson got his start in horse racing in 1951, working part-time in the mutuel department at Dade Park (now Ellis Park Racecourse) in nearby Henderson, Kentucky
. Eight years later, in 1959, Anderson became track announcer.
The following year, in 1960, Anderson also became the public-address voice of Churchill Downs
, home of the Kentucky Derby
. He would call 16 Runs for the Roses between then and 1977. During that stretch, Anderson also worked as a Midwest sports anchor, gaining the TV experience that would serve him well nationally in the 1970s.
In addition to Ellis and Churchill, Anderson worked at Oaklawn Park
, Santa Anita Park
, Ak-Sar-Ben
and Arlington Park
racetracks in the 1960s and 1970s.
Starting in 1969, Anderson's Derby calls would not only be heard by Churchill patrons but also on the CBS
Television Network, where he assumed Jack Drees' role on the network's coverage of all three Triple Crown
races, as well as other thoroughbred events. Anderson would eventually gain a level of fame as a national race caller exceeded only by that of Clem McCarthy
and Ted Husing
.
Because of his TV experience and knowledge of horses, CBS adopted him as a full-fledged member of their sportscasting team for big races, providing jockey interviews and insights as well as the race calls.
Anderson would remain at Churchill Downs until May 1977. After calling Seattle Slew
's victory in the Derby for both Churchill and ABC
Television, he moved his base of operations to the New York Racing Association
tracks (including Belmont Park
), succeeding NYRA race caller Dave Johnson
. That allowed him to call Slew's victory in the 1977 Belmont Stakes
for the racetrack, which likely makes Anderson the only man to call two Triple Crown races on the tracks' public-address systems in one year.
During his NYRA tenure, Anderson's daily calls would not only be heard by fans at the track, but also on WCBS Radio
.
In fall 1978, Anderson called Slew's last race, the Stuyvesant Handicap
at Aqueduct Racetrack
, live forCBS Television, WCBS radio and, the Big A fans. As Slew, ridden by Angel Cordero, Jr., roared down the stretch far enough in front to ensure a win, Anderson emoted. "Ladies and gentlemen, here he is, the champion of the world, Seattle Slew!"
of 1973 and 1978.
He was behind the CBS Television mic on June 9, 1973, when Derby and Preakness Stakes
winner Secretariat
tried to become the first horse in a quarter century to win the Crown. A stunned Anderson punctuated Big Red's powerful move on the final turn of the '73 Belmont this way, focusing on Secretariat while still keeping tabs on the other horses' positions:
A few minutes later, reviewing the videotape of Secretariat's stretch romp, Anderson humbly admitted it was hard to count lengths as Big Red raced toward home. "I said twenty-five," Anderson said. "It could conceivably have been more."
In fact, the champion's winning margin was fully 31 lengths—a distance it took careful examination of videotape and trackside photographs to measure. Secretariat was so far ahead when he crossed the finish line that the TV camera operator had to pan to the left to pick up the rest of the field, in lieu of leaving an "empty" track in the viewer's line of sight for a few seconds.
Affirmed
and Alydar
-- who battled each other closely both as 2 year old horses and in the 1978 Triple Crown races (with Affirmed prevailing barely in both the Derby and Preakness) -- renewed their battle in that year's Belmont. They hooked up in earnest a half-mile into the race and held a virtual match race for the rest of the event.
Then, shutting off the PA microphone (as track announcers did then) but keeping his CBS mic hot, he described the final moment of victory:
Anderson used a more animated style at the start when his call aired only on TV, maintaining a brisk pace while remaining measured, avoiding the cliches and the screaming style other track announcers adopted in the 1980s and beyond.
Confused by the similar silks of Foolish Pleasure and Prince Thou Art, he described Prince Thou Art as the leader during the late stages of the race, before correcting himself near the end. A newspaper headline on Anderson's rare error read "Prince Thou Ain't".
History-minded observers compared it to a similar mistake that legendary announcer Clem McCarthy had made during the running of the 1947 Preakness Stakes
.
, on Long Island
. He was succeeded at both NYRA and CBS by his backup, Marshall Cassidy
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. He was one of American sports' most famous PA voices, and remains among its most revered race caller
Race caller
A race caller is a public-address announcer or sportscaster who describes the progress of a race, either for on-track or radio and TV fans. They are most prominent in horse racing, auto racing and track-and-field events....
s.
Racing background
A native of Evansville, IndianaEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, Anderson got his start in horse racing in 1951, working part-time in the mutuel department at Dade Park (now Ellis Park Racecourse) in nearby Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
. Eight years later, in 1959, Anderson became track announcer.
The following year, in 1960, Anderson also became the public-address voice of Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, home of the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. He would call 16 Runs for the Roses between then and 1977. During that stretch, Anderson also worked as a Midwest sports anchor, gaining the TV experience that would serve him well nationally in the 1970s.
In addition to Ellis and Churchill, Anderson worked at Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
, Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
, Ak-Sar-Ben
Ak-Sar-Ben
Ak-Sar-Ben, or Aksarben, was an indoor arena and horse racing complex in Omaha, Nebraska. Built to fund the civic and philanthropic activities of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, the thoroughbred race track was built in 1920 and the Coliseum was built in 1929...
and Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
racetracks in the 1960s and 1970s.
Starting in 1969, Anderson's Derby calls would not only be heard by Churchill patrons but also on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Television Network, where he assumed Jack Drees' role on the network's coverage of all three Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
races, as well as other thoroughbred events. Anderson would eventually gain a level of fame as a national race caller exceeded only by that of Clem McCarthy
Clem McCarthy
Clem McCarthy was an American sportscaster and public address announcer. He also lent his voice to Pathe News's RKO newsreels. He was known for his gravelly voice and dramatic style, a "whiskey tenor" as sports announcer and executive David J...
and Ted Husing
Ted Husing
Edward Britt Husing 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.-Early life and career:...
.
Because of his TV experience and knowledge of horses, CBS adopted him as a full-fledged member of their sportscasting team for big races, providing jockey interviews and insights as well as the race calls.
Anderson would remain at Churchill Downs until May 1977. After calling Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
's victory in the Derby for both Churchill and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Television, he moved his base of operations to the New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
tracks (including Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
), succeeding NYRA race caller Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson (announcer)
Dave Johnson is an American announcer and sportscaster, best known for his work in horse racing with ABC and NBC Sports and at various race tracks in New York and New Jersey...
. That allowed him to call Slew's victory in the 1977 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
for the racetrack, which likely makes Anderson the only man to call two Triple Crown races on the tracks' public-address systems in one year.
During his NYRA tenure, Anderson's daily calls would not only be heard by fans at the track, but also on WCBS Radio
WCBS (AM)
WCBS , often referred to as "WCBS Newsradio 880" , is a radio station in New York City. Owned by CBS Radio, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of the CBS Radio Network...
.
In fall 1978, Anderson called Slew's last race, the Stuyvesant Handicap
Stuyvesant Handicap
The Stuyvesant Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race held in the fall of the year at Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, New York. A Grade III event, it is set over nine furlongs on the dirt for three-year-olds and up...
at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
, live forCBS Television, WCBS radio and, the Big A fans. As Slew, ridden by Angel Cordero, Jr., roared down the stretch far enough in front to ensure a win, Anderson emoted. "Ladies and gentlemen, here he is, the champion of the world, Seattle Slew!"
"A tremendous machine!"
For CBS Television, Anderson authored the two most famous calls in horse-racing history—and two of the most famous sportscasts in TV history—the Triple Crown clinchings in the Belmont StakesBelmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
of 1973 and 1978.
He was behind the CBS Television mic on June 9, 1973, when Derby and Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
winner Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
tried to become the first horse in a quarter century to win the Crown. A stunned Anderson punctuated Big Red's powerful move on the final turn of the '73 Belmont this way, focusing on Secretariat while still keeping tabs on the other horses' positions:
- They're on the turn, and Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a TREMENDOUS machine! Secretariat by twelve, Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn! Sham is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today, as My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is all alone! He's out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses! Secretariat is in a position that seems impossible to catch. He's into the stretch. Secretariat leads this field by 18 lengths, and now Twice a Prince has taken second and My Gallant has moved back to third. They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a 22 length lead! He is going to be the Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire. An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish 25 lengths in front! It's going to be Twice a Prince second, My Gallant third, Private Smiles fourth, and Sham, who had it today, dropped back to fifth.
A few minutes later, reviewing the videotape of Secretariat's stretch romp, Anderson humbly admitted it was hard to count lengths as Big Red raced toward home. "I said twenty-five," Anderson said. "It could conceivably have been more."
In fact, the champion's winning margin was fully 31 lengths—a distance it took careful examination of videotape and trackside photographs to measure. Secretariat was so far ahead when he crossed the finish line that the TV camera operator had to pan to the left to pick up the rest of the field, in lieu of leaving an "empty" track in the viewer's line of sight for a few seconds.
"We'll test these two to the wire!"
Five years later, for both CBS Sports and the Belmont Park fans, Anderson called a Belmont Stakes race that was as close as the 1973 Belmont was a romp.Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
and Alydar
Alydar
Alydar was a chestnut colt and an American thoroughbred race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a feat not achieved before or repeated since.-Racing career:Trained by John M...
-- who battled each other closely both as 2 year old horses and in the 1978 Triple Crown races (with Affirmed prevailing barely in both the Derby and Preakness) -- renewed their battle in that year's Belmont. They hooked up in earnest a half-mile into the race and held a virtual match race for the rest of the event.
- ...It is still Affirmed as they come to the quarter pole. He's holding on to a head lead. Alydar is outside of him and challenging that lead. The two are heads apart and Alydar's got a LEAD! Alydar put a head in front right in the middle of the stretch! It's Alydar and Affirmed battling back along the inside! We'll test these two to the wire! Affirmed under a left-hand whip! Alydar on the outside driving! Affirmed and Alydar heads apart. Affirmed's got a nose in front as they come on the wire!
Then, shutting off the PA microphone (as track announcers did then) but keeping his CBS mic hot, he described the final moment of victory:
- ...At the finish, it's going to be dead tight -- AFFIRMED won it! He wins the Triple Crown. Alydar is second! Steve Cauthen salutes the crowd. Darby Creek Road in third, Judge Advocate fourth, and Noon Time Spender finished fifth -- and what a STIRRING stretch battle! They both had their shot at this one during the stretch run!
The voice of racing
Anderson's style as a public-address announcer—even when the PA call was also carried on TV—was low-key, almost robotic, at the start of a race. (On arena PA systems, rapid-fire calls often end up a blur to the ears of fans scattered throughout a track or stadium). Then Anderson would pick up a vibrant pace halfway through the race.Anderson used a more animated style at the start when his call aired only on TV, maintaining a brisk pace while remaining measured, avoiding the cliches and the screaming style other track announcers adopted in the 1980s and beyond.
Prince Thou Ain't
Anderson's only prominent mistake came in the 1975 Derby, which he called for both the Churchill fans and ABC Television.Confused by the similar silks of Foolish Pleasure and Prince Thou Art, he described Prince Thou Art as the leader during the late stages of the race, before correcting himself near the end. A newspaper headline on Anderson's rare error read "Prince Thou Ain't".
History-minded observers compared it to a similar mistake that legendary announcer Clem McCarthy had made during the running of the 1947 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
.
Death
Anderson died of a heart attack on March 24, 1979 at his home in Commack, New YorkCommack, New York
Commack is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, New York, United States on Long Island...
, on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He was succeeded at both NYRA and CBS by his backup, Marshall Cassidy
Marshall Cassidy
Marshall Cassidy is an American Thoroughbred racing official based in New York State, and a former public address announcer and sportscaster...
.