Bob Costas

Costas had early aspirations for becoming a broadcaster. Growing up listening to people like Harry Caray and Howard Cosell inspired him to walk in their paths. Costas stated in an article for the Philadelphia Daily News: "I always thought the broadcaster was as much a part of the game as the game itself." His father was a sports fan, which helped to fuel the fire. It was his father who taught Costas about baseball and shared his love for Mickey Mantle. Costas carries that admiration of Mantle with him to this day, symbolized by Mantle's 1958 baseball card he keeps in his wallet.

In Costas's senior year in high school, he applied to Syracuse University, because he knew that is where broadcast greats Marty Glickman and Marv Albert had gone to school. In 1970 he began attendance at Syracuse University as a journalism major. Stan Alten, one of Costas's professors, stated to USA Today, "Bob is one of those natural talents that doesn't come along that often, just like a great poet. When those come your way, the best thing to do is make sure you don't screw him up by trying to change his style." In 1974, his final year of college, Costas was offered a job at KMOX-AM. He had submitted an application with them using a tape he had doctored by turning up the base, as his voice at the time did not sound very mature. Costas never dreamed that the stunt would actually work. He packed up his things and left immediately to go become the voice for the St. Louis Spirits of the American Basketball Association. Broadcasting on KMOX-AM was a dream for Costas. He recalls picking up the signal on a good night when he was young, and listening to Harry Caray broadcast in his phenomenal fashion. Costas admitted to the Rochester Times-Union, "I thought I was in way over my head. I only hoped to be adequate enough not to embarrass myself."