Sports Brooklyn Boro

Sal Marchiano: 40 years worth of memories

March 29, 2021 Andy Furman

Sal Marchiano's debut at WCBS TV, 1967. Photo courtesy of WCBS TV and Sal Marchiano

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Call it osmosis.

There’s no other way to figure out the tremendous career path of Brooklyn’s Sal Marchiano.

“I grew up on 394 Clinton St.,” he said, “next door to the Public Library.”

And Sal — he turned 80 this month — loved reading and a career was in the making.

A career full of memories of a lifetime.

“I took a turn in my grandpa’s 24-hour store,” he said. “We sold everything from soup to nuts. But my father was determined I would not be in the fish business.”

So off to St. John’s Prep in Williamsburg after Sacred Heart St. Stevens Grammar School.

Marchiano graduated in 1959 and when it came to a college choice there was only one on his list – Fordham.

“I knew I wanted radio when I was around 11 or 12. I idolized Vin Scully who called the Brooklyn Dodger games. And, he went to Fordham and worked on their radio station — WFUV.”

Marchiano didn’t waste anytime on the Rose Hill campus. As a freshman he did play-by-play for the Rams’ basketball team.

“I understood Marty Glickman’s style — geography on the court,” he said.

Sal Marchiano, second from left, with Carl Erskine of the Dodgers. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Eagle, 1953

While others slept, he worked nights on New York’s WMGM (1050-AM) radio where he finally met the James Madison High School star – Glickman.

His first job – little WFYI on weekends, in Garden City, New York. A 500-watt signal that you probably couldn’t hear outside the station.

Oh, did we mention he was paid a whopping $1.25 an hour.

It was Glickman again giving the young Marchiano a helping hand after graduation as a sports desk assistant at WCBS (880-AM) radio.

From there, his resume looked like a minor league baseball player – WAAT, in Newark, N.J., then WJRZ in Jersey, where he programmed music and did sports.

“And my parents were listening to the Make-Believe Ballroom on WNEW (1130-AM) radio,” he recalled.

He auditioned for a weekend job at WCBS-TV, Channel 2 in 1967. “Frank Gifford, who was doing the main sports, got me the audition,” he said. “Frank needed a guy for stories and interviews.”

What a lineup back then – it looked like a TV Murderers Row – Gifford, Marchiano and Robert Trout, the news anchor, along with Jim Jenson and Reed Collins.

Sal Marchiano with Dodgers’ right fielder Carl Furillo. Photo courtesy of Sal Marchiano

When Gifford moved to ABC in 1970, Marchiano joined him. And so did Howard Cosell, Roger Grimsby and Bill Beutel.

In 1980, he was an original cast member at ESPN anchoring SportsCenter, hosting the weekly Sports Forum and doing the blow-by-blow of the weekly Top Rank Boxing telecasts.

Marchiano scored the TV “hat-trick” in 1984 joining WNBC-TV, Channel 4 and teamed with Chuck Scarborough, Sue Simmons, Gabe Pressman, Marv Albert and Len Berman.

More? Of course.

He worked with Jack Cafferty and Kaity Tony at WPIX-TV Channel 11 in 1994.

That is more than fourteen years of his more than four decades in broadcasting.

But it was the events that linger in the mind of the kid who grew up in Carroll Gardens – south of Atlantic Avenue, north of Red Hook.

He covered the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs and championship fights.

He hosted ABC’s Wide World of Sports live from the Philippines before the The Thrilla in Manila.

“It was the first live broadcast from that part of the world,” the now resident of South Florida told the Brooklyn Eagle by phone the other day.

Marchiano remembers Cosell wouldn’t go to the Philippines for that fight. “It was a Marshall Law situation,” he said. “I spent 10 days in Manila.”

The list of his interviews is like a who’s who in the world of sports. From Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Vince Lombardi, Joe Namath, Pete Rozelle, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams and Billie Jean King.

There’s more – the non-sports personalities included Gene Autrey, Frederico Fellino, Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra.

Two Emmys for broadcasting excellence are atop his bookshelf – but perhaps his proudest moment was watching his daughter – Sam – pick up the reigns.

The Columbia University graduate has been a sportscaster since the mid-1990s with Fox Sports and Major League Baseball.

And at 80 sports are still a big part of Sal Marchiano’s life.

“Of course,” he said. “I play golf once a week, and use the community pool daily.”

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected]