Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Geoffrey Mason, who was the coordinating producer for the 1972 Munich Olympics and went on to a five-decade career with multiple networks, has died at the age of 85.
‘Geoff Mason was a friend and a colleague who had a storied career, touching just about every corner of the sports television industry,’ said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC and ESPN. ‘He had a passion for the business, which was evidenced in his prodigious work ethic and the constant love and enthusiasm he exhibited on everything he worked on.’
Mason was a central figure in the ABC Sports control room in 1972 when a Palestinian terrorist group stormed the Olympic Village in Munich and took several members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage.
A standoff with police lasted for 22 hours as ABC provided riveting around-the-clock coverage that ended with a failed rescue attempt. Six Israeli coaches and five athletes died as anchor Jim McKay memorably broke the news to viewers: ‘They’re all gone.’
Mason served as a consultant on the feature film, ‘September 5’ about the Olympic massacre. It was one of a total of eight Olympics he worked for ABC. He was also employed by NBC, Fox and NFL Network over his lengthy career, one in which he earned 24 Emmy Awards.
A U.S. Navy veteran and graduate of Duke University, Mason was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010.