Bob Goodrich was an All-American football player who has become one of television’s most respected sports producers.
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Growing up in Dallas, Texas, he played football for Woodrow Wilson High School, where he graduated in 1963. Goodrich was inspired by his father, who was a Methodist minister and hosted and produced a live weekly television show The Pastor Calls.
Although Bob Goodrich was offered 50-60 scholarships from schools around the country, Goodrich chose to play college football in his hometown for the renowned Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Here, Goodrich received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology as well as played tight end on the SMU team that won the 1966 Southwest Conference (SWC) Championship and played in the 1967 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Goodrich started his career in 1970 at ABC Sports. He first worked for ABC on a part-time basis, performing various duties on different sports telecasts, gaining valuable experience. In addition to the hands-on experience gained, Goodrich derived an immeasurable amount of knowledge from the legendary sports broadcasting pioneer Roone Arledge. After gaining the experience needed, Goodrich joined ABC Sports full-time in 1971 as a production assistant, becoming an associate producer in 1973 before being elevated to full producer in 1976.
Goodrich was producer of ABC’s NFL’s Monday Night Football from 1980-86. As a tribute to the work done on Monday Night Football, Bill Carter and Marc Gunther wrote a book that became Monday Night Mayhem, a made for TV movie that documents the creation of ABC’s Monday Night Football telecast in 1970 and continues by highlighting how the program rose to the top of the ratings. In this film, actor Brennan Brown portrayed Bob Goodrich as the producer during the specified years and Bob worked as a consultant on the film.
Among the many highlights during Goodrich’s career at ABC Sports was serving as the producer for the network’s first-ever coverage of the Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIX, in January 1985. He also produced the Super Bowl XXV pre-game and halftime programs in Tampa in 1991.
Goodrich has spearheaded ABC Sports’ coverage of college football as a producer for 22 years, and as coordinating producer for twelve. He served as the coordinating producer of the 1998 World Cup of soccer (FIFA World Cup), and produced ABC Sports’ live coverage of the Indianapolis 500 for 16 consecutive years, having previously co-produced the network’s coverage of the world’s greatest auto race for seven years.
At the Olympics, Goodrich was the producer of the basketball coverage at the 1976 Summer Olympics, the hockey coverage at the 1976 Winter Olympics and again at the 1984 Winter Olympics, speed skating at Lake Placid in the 1980 Winter Olympics, gymnastics in Los Angeles at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the Alpine coverage for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
During his career, Goodrich has produced ABC’s major golf championship coverage including the U.S. Open (golf), British Open and PGA Championship and many of the PGA Tour events, as well as a variety of Wide World of Sports events, including the World Track & Field Championships, World Alpine Skiing Championships, boxing and auto racing. Goodrich also served as producer for the North American Soccer League and ABC’s Monday Night Baseball telecasts. In addition to his successful career as a producer, Goodrich has also directed golf, auto racing and football telecasts.
Goodrich is currently a freelance television producer, director, and consultant for companies including ABC/ESPN.
Throughout his career, Goodrich has had the good fortune of working with some of greats of sports broadcasting, including Howard Cosell, Jim McKay, Brent Musberger, Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson, Frank Gifford, O.J. Simpson, Brad Nessler, Paul Maguire, Chris Schenkel, Bill Russell, Al Trautwig and Bruce Jenner.
Pursuing a shared passion with his wife, Annie Hoffman Goodrich, they founded Sportscast Stars Training in 2008, a company that provides media training to professional and college athletes as well as broadcasters and producers.
Goodrich has received 15 Sports Emmy Awards, most recently as a producer for the 1990 Indy 500 coverage, which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special. He also captured two Emmys as a co-producer of ABC’s coverage of the 1982 and 1989 Indianapolis 500. Goodrich also received one Emmy each as a producer for ABC’s coverage of the 1984 and 1976 Summer Olympics; one each for coverage of the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics; one as a producer for ABC’s NCAA Football series and five as a producer on ABC’s Wide World of Sports (1975, 1976, 1986, 1989 and 1990).
In addition to the 15 Emmy Awards Goodrich has won, he has also been nominated for 29 additional Emmy Awards, including a 2006 nomination for his work on ESPN’s College Football.
Goodrich has been recognized for his accomplishments during his high school football career at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas by being inducted into the Texas Sports High School Hall of Fame in May 2009. Also in 2009, he was inducted into Woodrow Wilson High School’s Hall of Fame in recognition of his excellence as a student and an athlete and for his lifetime of professional achievements.
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