Jim Karvellas

Jim Karvellas (August 24, 1935 –January 1, 2007 Known for his trademark calls of "Bulls-eye!" for big baskets and "This is Coz-MOES SOCK-errr!," Karvellas was the voice of the NBA's Baltimore/Washington Bullets and New York Knicks as well as the NASL's New York Cosmos. "There was always an undercurrent of enthusiasm when he was on the air because he loved the game. And he had that deep resonant voice. You can be a great technician but you have to have that voice," said Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated and NPR. Many consider him a "founding father" of celebrity golf.

Sportscasting career Karvellas' radio and TV broadcasting career spanned basketball, soccer, football, baseball, golf, and even NASCAR.

NBA

Bullets Chicago Packers (1961–1962) Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963) Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) Capital Bullets (1973–1974) Washington Bullets (1974–1980) The team was soon renamed the Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1962). He covered NBA games for CBS radio (1978–1986) and was host of the USA Network's NBA Game of the Week (1979–1981.)

North American Soccer League (NASL) In the 1970s, Karvellas was involved with early efforts to bring the international game of soccer to American audiences.

Baltimore Bays (1972–1973) As president of the Baltimore Bays, Karvellas worked to bring soccer back to the city. The Bays ultimately moved to Philadelphia without Karvellas, who had left for Washington, DC. Karvellas played a leading role in the third attempt to bring soccer to Washington, DC.

He became president and part-owner of the Washington Diplomats and brought with him Baltimore Bays coach Dennis Viollet. Reported The New York Times, "The Washington Diplomats are working hard to establish themselves, both in the North American Soccer League, which they will join this season, and with the people of the capital." "Jim was the perfect man for those days. He had a lot of flair; he was a reflection of the team" said Cosmo's Giorgio Chinagila to the New York Post. It took Karvellas years to make Celebrity Golf a reality but it was finally picked up by NBC due to their loss of Major League Baseball. The first tournament was held at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in 1990. It hosted players such as Michael Jordan, Ernie Banks, Mario Lemieux, Mike Schmidt, and Kenny Rogers to name a few.

Personal life Karvellas was married to the former Lorie Hirst for 38 years until her death in 1997. They had two children and five grandchildren.