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January 1, 1927: First Rose Bowl National Broadcast


January 1, 1927: Graham McNamee presented the play by play on NBC for the Rose Bowl, broadcast for the first time on this day by a coast-to-coast network radio.


NBC chose sports as their main program focus since they were the first network to broadcast the Rose Bowl across the country. Later on, several important sporting events were aired nationally by NBC, including the World Series, golf tournaments, and the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1932.

McNamee was a pioneering broadcaster in American radio history. He broadcast many sporting events, including national and international competitions. He was not a sports expert, but he had an incredible affinity for conveying to audiences what he saw in great detail and with great enthusiasm.  Graham McNamee later broadcast the radio program Behind the Mike.

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