Bill Mazer, a legend of sports coverage in New York for decades, pioneering sports-talk radio and becoming a television fixture while earning the nickname “The A-Maz-In” for his unparalleled recall of sports facts and figures, died on Wednesday in Danbury, CT. He was 92.
Mazer was inducted into the hall of fame for both the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (1999) and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (1997). He is also recognized as the host of the first sports talk radio show in history that launched in March of 1964 on WNBC-AM.
He wrote several sports trivia books, including Bill Mazer’s Amazin’ Baseball Book: 150 Years of Baseball Tales & Trivia published by Zebra Books in 1990.
Mazer hosted a WFAN sports show from Mickey Mantle’s restaurant from 1988 to 1991, and returned to the station on June 30, 2007 to host an hour long show from 10–11 AM during the station’s 20th anniversary celebration and reunion weekend. He was also a morning talk show host on WEVD, where he expanded to a comprehensive liberal talk format from 1992 to 2001. Mazer then launched an afternoon interview program on Whitney Media’s WVOX in New Rochelle, NY from 3–6 PM, with his son, Arnie Mazer, serving as producer. His last show on WVOX was aired August 3, 2009, ending his tenure at the station after nearly eight years.
Bill O’Shaughnessy, President, Whitney Media issued a statement for his friend: “It was a privilege to amplify Bill Mazer’s brilliant voice on WVOX-AM for the last eight years of his long, “amazing” (no pun intended!) professional broadcasting career.
Bill was knowledgeable about damn near everything. He could talk with eloquence and erudition on many subjects… from Joe DiMaggio and Henry Aaron to Frank Sinatra, Toots Shor and our late Westchester neighbor of sainted memory, Robert Merrill.
I first discovered Mazer’s genius when I listened to him in high school in Buffalo, New York. He had a way with words which was unequaled in our tribe and a voice of great resonance and timbre. And the State of Israel had no greater champion on the radio than Bill Mazer.”
I am here because of Bill Mazer
In Buffalo he was on WGR TV(NBC) with the announcer of the future contest sponsored by a car dealership. I cheated on the votes by mimeographing thousands of them and won, after I was caught the ad agency pushed me into radio sales, There was also a show called TV dance party which I was the teenage co anchor along with Michael Bennet who did the choreography, way ahead of time for all of us.
Bill Mazer created sports talk
Michael Bennet directed chorus line on Broadway
and a poor bullied fat kid named joey became the #1 jock in America …..
thank you Mr sports- Bill Mazer
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