Bill Hewitt (sportscaster)

Bill Hewitt
Born Foster William Alfred Hewitt
(1928-12-08)8 December 1928
Toronto, Ontario
Died 25 December 1996(1996-12-25) (aged 68)
Port Perry, Ontario
Occupation Sportscaster
Years active 1951–1981
Relatives Foster Hewitt (father)

Foster William Alfred "Bill" Hewitt (December 8, 1928 – December 25, 1996) was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster. He was the son of hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt and the grandson of Toronto Star sports journalist W. A. Hewitt.

Playing career

Bill Hewitt played competitive football and hockey and competed in track & field while attending Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario.

Sports broadcasting

After graduation, Bill Hewitt took a broadcasting job at CJRL in Kenora, Ontario. He was then hired as sports director of CFOS in Owen Sound, Ontario, and later held the same title at CKBB in Barrie.

In 1951, his father launched CKFH in Toronto at which the younger Hewitt became its sports director at age 23. In the mid 1950s, Hewitt began substituting on Toronto Maple Leafs hockey broadcasts when his father was given other assignments by the CBC, such as covering the Ice Hockey World Championships or Winter Olympics.

By 1958, the two Hewitts were working together in the television booth on Maple Leafs games. Foster eventually returned to radio and for the next two decades, Bill Hewitt was the TV voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1981, a health issue forced Hewitt out of the broadcast booth at the relatively young age of 53.

The Hockey Hall of Fame awarded Hewitt the 2007 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.[1]

Death

Hewitt died as the result of massive heart failure on Christmas Day morning of December 25, 1996, just before dawn and was later interred in Stone Church Cemetery, east of Beaverton, Ontario.

Hewitt was survived by daughter Bonnie Hewitt Dixon and son Bruce Hewitt.

See also

TV Video

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
Preceded by
Danny Gallivan		 Stanley Cup Finals Canadian network television play-by-play announcer
1959-1964 (with Danny Gallivan in 1959-1960; Hewitt called the games in Toronto in both years)
1967 (with Danny Gallivan and Dan Kelly; Hewitt called the games from Toronto)
1970
1972		 Succeeded by
Danny Gallivan
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