Sports broadcaster Howard Cosell was the voice of football, boxing, and more from the mid ’50s through the end of the ’80s. Many of his calls have become legendary in sports history, but Cosell had a reputation for being arrogant and rude, to the point that sports fans sarcastically called him “Humble Howard.” Still, nothing could have prepared audiences for the comment that nearly ended Humble Howard’s career.
On September 5, 1983, Cosell was broadcasting the Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. After wide receiver Alvin Garrett broke tackles for an impressive gain, Cosell commented, “That little monkey gets loose, doesn’t he?” As Garrett is black, the comment was considered racist, and the phones at ABC rang off the hook as viewers called in to complain.