Yesterday, Steve Sabol passed away. Some may not know who that is but to the sports fan and in particular the football fan, Steve Sabol is a household name. He was the president of NFL Films and son of the founder, Ed Sabol. He started as a cinematographer and then worked his way up to being over the whole thing.
NFL Films defined for several generations what it meant to watch the NFL. They were pioneers in getting audio from players and coaches. Before the age of ESPN cable, NFL films captured the sights and sounds of the game in a way that made it accessible to the people. Even into the 80s & 90s (when I was a kid), NFL Films was the marquee department in capturing the sport like no other company capturing sports.
The music played over highlights was unmistakeable. The voiceovers by John Facinda were epic. Steve Sabol was a huge part of that. When I think of watching football, I can't help but think about that music and the voiceovers when thinking about the "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field" or the "Autumn wind" being like a Raider.
I actually own a CD of the music from NFL Films and when I was playing flag football I would have some of those music and soundbites to listen to on my iPod as I'm warming up and stretching before games.
Steve passed away from cancer at the age of 69. He will be missed.
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