William Norman Flemming | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-09-03)September 3, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 20, 2007(2007-07-20) (aged 80) Petoskey, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Televisionsportsjournalist |
William Norman Flemming (September 3, 1926 – July 20, 2007) was an Americantelevisionsportsjournalist who was one of the original announcers for theABC Sports showWide World of Sports.
Born inChicago,Illinois, and raised by his aunt and uncle, Martha Gorrell Flemming and George A. Flemming, and moved toAnn Arbor, Michigan, by the time he entered high school.[1] While at Ann Arbor High School, he was a member of their state championshipfootball team in 1943.[1] Flemming was also a member of the high schoolbasketball team.
Attending theUniversity of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he entered as aPre-medical major, but switched tospeech after winning a campus wide speech contest which earned him a summer job at WUOM, the campusradio station.[1] Flemming would work his way up to sports director of the radio station.[1] He was a member ofDelta Tau Delta International Fraternity.
After graduating from Michigan, he went to work forWWJ-TV inDetroit in 1953[2] and later appeared onNBC'sToday Show before joining ABC'sWide World of Sports in 1961.[3] He was the original voice of theDetroit Pistons, calling their radio broadcasts from 1957 (their first season in Detroit) to 1962.
While with ABC, Flemming covered over 600 events for the program, includingcollege football,golf andcliff-diving.[1] One of the assignments he cherished broadcasting was theMichigan-Ohio State football game since Flemming was a Michigan graduate.[3] Other sports that Flemming called onWide World of Sports werebobsledding,[4]chess,auto racing and theOlympic Games.[3] His first event called on ABC was theDrake Relaystrack and field event inDes Moines, Iowa, while his fellow broadcasterJim McKay called thePenn Relays athletic event inPhiladelphia.[5]
While at NBC, Flemming also called theUS Open golf tournament in 1957.[5] It was Flemming's reputation for tact and persistence that made him the go-to man in interviewing the reclusiveBobby Fischer during the1972 World Chess Championships inReykjavík,Iceland when Fischer was competing against defending championBoris Spassky of the then-Soviet Union.[2]
Flemming was the first voice of theNCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship on television.
Flemming was a past president of the Detroit Sports Media Association and was named a Lifetime Member of the DSMA. On June 20, 2008, Flemming was elected posthumously to theMichigan Sports Hall of Fame.[6]
Flemming married the former Barbara Forster.[3] Their marriage produced two children, and they had two grandchildren.[3] Living inBloomfield Hills, Michigan, Flemming was a pilot with over 6,000 hours logged.[2] From 1998 until his 2007 death, Flemming split his time between his homes inGood Hart, Michigan, andMarco Island, Florida.[2]
Flemming died ofprostate cancer on July 20, 2007, inPetoskey, Michigan.[5] A memorial service was held on August 10 inHarbor Springs.[2]
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