Bill Hewitt (sportscaster)
Bill Hewitt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 6, 1928 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | December 25, 1996 (aged 68) Port Perry, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Years active | 1951–1981 |
| Father | Foster Hewitt |
| Family | W. A. Hewitt (grandfather) |
Foster William Alfred Hewitt (December 6, 1928 – December 25, 1996)[1] was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster.
He was the son of the famous hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt and the grandson of Toronto Star journalist and hockey executive W. A. Hewitt, both of whom are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Additionally, W.A. Hewitt was the managing-director of Maple Leaf Gardens from 1931 to 1948 and served as the chairman of the committee to select the inaugural members of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.
Playing career
Bill Hewitt played competitive football and hockey and competed in a number of different track & field events while attending Upper Canada College in Toronto.
Sports broadcasting
After graduation, Bill Hewitt took a broadcasting job with CJRL in Kenora, Ontario. He was then hired as sports director of CFOS in Owen Sound, Ontario, and later held the same title at CKBB in Barrie.
In 1951, his father launched CKFH in Toronto at which the younger Hewitt became its sports director at age 23. In the mid-1950s, he began substituting on some of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey broadcasts when his father was given other assignments by the CBC, such as covering the Ice Hockey World Championships or Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
By 1958, both Hewitts were working together for Hockey Night in Canada games involving the Toronto Maple Leafs, with him calling the play-by-play and his father serving as color commentator. Beginning in 1963, his father returned to radio, at which Bill became the television voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In 1981, a blood infection forced Hewitt out of the broadcast booth at the relatively young age of 53.[2][3]
The Hockey Hall of Fame awarded Bill Hewitt the 2007 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.[4][5]
Personal life
Hewitt was married to Jessie, and they had twins.
He died as the result of a massive heart failure on December 25, 1996, and was interred in Stone Church Cemetery, east of Beaverton, Ontario.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Bill Hewitt". FindaGrave.com. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Patton, Paul (February 9, 1984). "Where are They Now? Bill Hewitt". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. p. S4.
- ^ "Hockey Night in Canada - The Television Years | History of Canadian Broadcasting". broadcasting-history.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Legends of Hockey - Induction Showcase - 2007 Inductees Press Release". Archived from the original on May 29, 2007.
- ^ "Bill Hewitt to be honoured by Hall of Fame". The Globe and Mail. May 29, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
External links
- Foster's Shadow: The On-Air Meltdown of Bill Hewitt @ WFMU
- CBC Sports biography Archived February 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine