George Finkel Explained

George Finkel (July 29, 1936 – April 17, 2019)^[1] was an American television sports producer and director. He was the son of architect Maurice Herman Finkel. He graduated from University of Michigan in 1958.

Finkel worked for NBC Sports from August 1971 to February 1990 and won three Emmys, for producing Super Bowl XIII,^[2] for 1982 Baseball World Series, and for producing gymnastics at the 1988 Olympics.

He also produced the highest-rated basketball game in television history; the NCAA Final Game in 1979, which featured Michigan State, with Magic Johnson, over Indiana State, with Larry Bird.^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Obituary George Finkel . Dignity Memorial . April 28, 2019.
2. News: ABC captures four Emmys. March 5, 1980. The Gadsden Times. AP. 30. July 12, 2010.
3. News: When March Went Mad. Wall Street Journal. March 20, 2009. April 17, 2019. www.wsj.com.
4. Web site: The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. www.broadcastpioneers.com. April 17, 2019.
5. Web site: Pioneers of Philadelphia Broadcasting George Finkel. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/xeC9Ibn_WJY . 2021-12-21 . live. Broadcast Pioneers. December 2, 2014. April 17, 2019. YouTube.
6. News: Ohlmeyer: NBC Won't Be the Same Without Its Expert at Excess . 1982-05-16 . William Taafe . . Washington, D.C. . 0190-8286 . 1330888409.
7. Book: Davis, Seth. When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball. March 3, 2009. Macmillan. 9780805088106. April 17, 2019. Google Books.
8. Book: Live TV: an inside look at directing and producing. Tony. Verna. William T. Bode. April 17, 1987. Focal Press. 14357417. April 17, 2019. Open WorldCat.
9. http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/032609_madness.pdf
10. Web site: The Michigan Alumnus. April 17, 1974. UM Libraries. April 17, 2019. Google Books.
11. http://emmyonline.com/download/1980-Nomination_Winners.pdf