Voting Station

Howard Cosell

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Sportscaster

The Resume

    (March 25, 1918-April 23, 1995)
    Sportscaster for A.B.C. events including Olympics, Boxing and Monday Night Football (1970-83)
    Hosted short lived variety show 'Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell' (1975)
    Appeared as himself in 'Sleeper,' 'Two Minute Warning,' 'Bananas' and '500 Pound Jerk'
    Wrote 'Telling It Like it Is'
    Birth name was Howard Cohen (he traced his original name back to Kosell, and changed it to Cosell)

Why he might be annoying:

    He wore a toupee.
    He smoked cigars.
    At times, he drank heavily.
    He once was the commentator for a Monday Night Game where he was so drunk, the network had to take him off the air.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He developed an incredible friendship with boxer, Muhammad Ali.
    He is one of the most imitated voices.
    He was named both 'most liked' and 'most disliked' sportscaster in a TV Guide poll (1978).
    When he said of an african american running back, 'look at that monkey run,' many branded him a racist, but he explained that, he refers to his own grandchildren as monkeys.
    Civil Rights activists and many African Americans supported Cosell, saying he was not a racist.
    In 1982, he condemned boxing as corrupt and refused to announce any more boxing fights.
    He said football had become stagnant and stopped broadcasting for the NFL (1983).
    During a Monday Night Football game, he was the first to inform Americans that John Lennon was shot.

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 32 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 36 Votes: 61.11% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 172 Votes: 58.14% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 193 Votes: 45.60% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 100 Votes: 46.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 24 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 23 Votes: 60.87% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 37 Votes: 81.08% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 24 Votes: 45.83% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 93 Votes: 49.46% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 22 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 302 Votes: 52.32% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 60 Votes: 65.00% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 92 Votes: 43.48% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 123 Votes: 52.03% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 52 Votes: 59.62% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 96 Votes: 57.29% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 212 Votes: 56.13% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 310 Votes: 57.10% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 435 Votes: 59.77% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 685 Votes: 61.90% Annoying
    In 2002, Out of 79647 Votes: 23.94% Annoying
    In 2001, Out of 4392 Votes: 64.78% Annoying