Les Keiter
Encyclopedia
Les Keiter also known as the "General", was a newscaster and sports director
of Honolulu, Hawaii
television station KHON-TV
. Keiter, who also lived in New York
and San Francisco, also called some of the biggest fights in the history of boxing
.
. He began his broadcasting career after World War II when he began announcing for a minor league
baseball team.
During the 1960s, he called some of the biggest fights in the history of boxing, including the 1964 victory by Muhammad Ali
(then Cassius Clay) over heavyweight champ Sonny Liston
.
Keiter said the Ali-Liston match was the biggest fight he ever called. His frequent partner during boxing events for ABC radio was the late Howard Cosell
.
Keiter served as sports director at WINS–AM
in New York from the mid-1950s to 1963, mainly hosting the pre- and postgame shows for Yankees
broadcasts. He also did play-by-play for the football Giants
(1956–1959), Knicks
(1955–1962) and Rangers
. He was most remembered for his re-creations of San Francisco Giants
games from 1958 to 1960, broadcast back to New York listeners in the first three seasons after the franchise
's departure from the city. His re-creations were so popular, many fans had no idea he was not covering the action live.
Keiter left New York and headed to Philadelphia in 1963, calling games for the Philadelphia 76ers
and Big Five
college basketball
. While broadcasting at the Palestra
, Keiter was known for his sign-on phrase, "Welcome to Panicsville, USA,"and also coined phrases such as "ring-tailed howitzer," "tickled the twine" and "in again, out again, Finnegan."
Keiter briefly did television play-by-play of Philadelphia Ramblers hockey games of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). The Ramblers televised 9 away games after Feb. 2, 1963 back to Philadelphia on WFIL-TV (On January 15, 1963, most likely as a test before Feb. 2, the 3rd period of a Long Island Ducks/Philadelphia Ramblers game was televised locally in Philly for the 1st time.)
Keiter also covered the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
for Mutual Radio, working with Olympian Jesse Owens
, whom Keiter once called the greatest athlete he had ever known. During those Olympics, Keiter called the play-by-play for George Foreman
's gold-medal boxing victory.
, another colleague, said about Keiter, "He was the man that I was just so proud to have an opportunity to work with to say you worked with someone who saw alongside some of the greatest athletes in the history of sports."
. Fellow KHON-TV news anchor Joe Moore started calling Keiter "General" as a result of these appearances. Moore recalled thinking, "Oh, I'm going to call him 'General' on the air. I always called him that around the news room, but never on the air. I thought, what the hell. It really took off." Keiter's nickname stuck until he retired from KHON in 1993.
. Until late 2008, he was also the host of the Honolulu Quarterback Club. In his later years, he reportedly had problems with his vision and difficulty walking. He also reportedly battled dementia
in the months preceding his death.
On April 21, Keiter's family scattered his ashes off Waikiki from a canoe procession.
Sports Director
A sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
of Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
television station KHON-TV
KHON-TV
KHON-TV is a Fox-affiliated television station in Honolulu, Hawaii. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 2.In addition to its Honolulu broadcast facilities, KHON has relays on all the major Hawaiian Islands to rebroadcast programs outside of metropolitan Honolulu: KHAW-TV in Hilo; KAII-TV in...
. Keiter, who also lived in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and San Francisco, also called some of the biggest fights in the history of boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
Early career
Keiter was raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. He began his broadcasting career after World War II when he began announcing for a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
baseball team.
During the 1960s, he called some of the biggest fights in the history of boxing, including the 1964 victory by Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
(then Cassius Clay) over heavyweight champ Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
.
Keiter said the Ali-Liston match was the biggest fight he ever called. His frequent partner during boxing events for ABC radio was the late 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...
.
Keiter served as sports director at WINS–AM
WINS (AM)
WINS , known on-air as "Ten-Ten Wins", is a radio station in New York City, owned by CBS Radio. WINS's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan, and transmitting towers in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.WINS is one of the nation's oldest...
in New York from the mid-1950s to 1963, mainly hosting the pre- and postgame shows for Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
broadcasts. He also did play-by-play for the football Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1956–1959), Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
(1955–1962) and Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
. He was most remembered for his re-creations of San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
games from 1958 to 1960, broadcast back to New York listeners in the first three seasons after the franchise
Professional sports league organization
Professional sports leagues are organized in numerous ways. The two most significant types are a European model, characterised by a tiered structure using promotion and relegation to determine participation in a hierarchy of leagues or divisions and a North American model characterized by its use...
's departure from the city. His re-creations were so popular, many fans had no idea he was not covering the action live.
Keiter left New York and headed to Philadelphia in 1963, calling games for the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
and Big Five
Philadelphia Big 5
The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and the Ivy League.The five...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
. While broadcasting at the Palestra
Palestra
The Palestra, also known as the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 215 South 33rd St...
, Keiter was known for his sign-on phrase, "Welcome to Panicsville, USA,"and also coined phrases such as "ring-tailed howitzer," "tickled the twine" and "in again, out again, Finnegan."
Keiter briefly did television play-by-play of Philadelphia Ramblers hockey games of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). The Ramblers televised 9 away games after Feb. 2, 1963 back to Philadelphia on WFIL-TV (On January 15, 1963, most likely as a test before Feb. 2, the 3rd period of a Long Island Ducks/Philadelphia Ramblers game was televised locally in Philly for the 1st time.)
Keiter also covered the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
for Mutual Radio, working with Olympian Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
, whom Keiter once called the greatest athlete he had ever known. During those Olympics, Keiter called the play-by-play for George Foreman
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...
's gold-medal boxing victory.
KHON-TV sports director
In 1970, Keiter and his wife moved to Hawaii. The following year, he was hired as KHON's sports director, where he would stay for over two decades. During Keiter's tenure, he guided many up and coming sportscasters. Fellow KHON sportscaster Ron Mizutani called Keiter his "mentor", saying, "I was a day away from entering the police force. I was his sports producer and he said where you going kid. I said I'm giving up. He said no you're not. Three days later I was his sports reporter." Bob HogueBob Hogue
Bob Hogue is an athletic conference commissioner, author and columnist, sportscaster, and a former Republican member of the Hawaii State Senate representing the 24th district for six years . Hogue was the Republican nominee for U.S...
, another colleague, said about Keiter, "He was the man that I was just so proud to have an opportunity to work with to say you worked with someone who saw alongside some of the greatest athletes in the history of sports."
"General" Les Keiter
Keiter played military generals in two episodes of Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
. Fellow KHON-TV news anchor Joe Moore started calling Keiter "General" as a result of these appearances. Moore recalled thinking, "Oh, I'm going to call him 'General' on the air. I always called him that around the news room, but never on the air. I thought, what the hell. It really took off." Keiter's nickname stuck until he retired from KHON in 1993.
Post-KHON work
After retiring from KHON, Keiter became the spokesman for the Aloha StadiumAloha Stadium
Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in the Halawa CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Currently Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaii Warriors football team...
. Until late 2008, he was also the host of the Honolulu Quarterback Club. In his later years, he reportedly had problems with his vision and difficulty walking. He also reportedly battled dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
in the months preceding his death.
Death
Keiter died on the afternoon of April 14, 2009, surrounded by his family. The KHON-TV web site reported Keiter's death as from natural causes.On April 21, Keiter's family scattered his ashes off Waikiki from a canoe procession.