The American Sportsman was a television series from 1965 to 1986 on ABC which presented filmed highlights of hunting and/or fishing trips involving the program's hosts and celebrities. It was typically presented on Sunday afternoons, frequently following coverage of live sporting events. From 1965 to 1967, the program was hosted by former South Dakota Republican Governor, American Football League commissioner, and World War II hero Joe Foss; it was later hosted by Grits Gresham, an outdoorsman from Natchitoches, Louisiana, and long-time sports announcer Curt Gowdy.
Some of the celebrities shown included Bing Crosby, Andy Griffith, General Jimmy Doolittle, Burt Reynolds, Larry Hagman, Phil Harris, Bruce Jenner, Bert Jones, Redd Foxx, and William Shatner.
The show has its roots in a 20-minute segment depicting Curt Gowdy and Joe Brooks fly fishing in the Andes Mountains in Argentina in 1964. The segment appeared on the Wide World of Sports and immediately was spun off into its own series air at 3 PM EST on Sundays from January through March on ABC.[1] The show's first episode was on January 31, 1965.[2]
Episodes have been rebroadcast on ESPN Classic in recent years.