January 20, 2015
Tony Verna, who changed the face of live sports broadcasting with his invention of instant replay 51 years ago, died Sunday, CBSPhilly reports. He was 81.
The television director and producer was battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He died at his home in Palm Desert, California.
Verna, a Philadelphia native, gave fans a new way to experience live sports games.
According to CBSPhilly:
CBS used instant replay for the first time in the Dec. 7, 1963 Army-Navy football game in Verna’s hometown of Philadelphia, after he developed a method to cue the tape to pinpoint the play he wanted to immediately air again. He said he was looking for a way to fill those boring gaps between plays during a football telecast.
The concept was so new that when Army quarterback Rollie Stichweh scored a touchdown, announcer Lindsey Nelson had to warn viewers: “This is not live! Ladies and gentlemen, Army did not score again!”
Instant replay has since become a standard in sports broadcasting.
