ATLANTA — Art Eckman, a sports broadcasting legend who spent more than a decade as 11Alive's sports director, died last weekend at 81 years old.
Eckman's career spanned from the West Coast to Atlanta, ESPN to local news and ranged in sports from football and basketball to boat racing and supercross/motocross - a sport for which he became a foundational figure.
He left his mark at news stations in Portland, Oregon, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Atlanta. He contributed to organizations such as the Oakland Raiders, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Dream and Kennesaw State. At 11Alive, Eckman was a sports broadcaster from 1978-1991, and was credited in leading coverage of everything from the Braves and Falcons to Super Bowls and The Masters.
Eckman was the first sideline radio broadcaster for KSU football, the school said in a statement, and the school said it mourns his loss. He worked in KSU's sports communications and administration from 2009-2016.
That followed on two decades at ESPN, where he became a pivotal voice of supercross and motocross. The racing site Racer X wrote: "For an entire generation of motorsports viewers Eckman was the voice of supercross and motocross."
Eckman's career began after he left Washington State University in 1965, a school where he later was inducted into the Hall of Achievement.
According to an obituary released to 11Alive, he then worked at KOIN in Portland, then KATU in the same market, left Portland for San Diego to broadcast for the fledgling Rockets of the NBA - and then relocating to Houston with the team.
He then went to KSFO radio in San Francisco, doing play-by-play for the San Francisco Giants and Stanford University. That led to KRON-TV and a pre-season play-by-play work with the Raiders. His co-hosting of the Kenny Stabler Show won him a Kennedy Foundation National Award for featuring athletes with developmental disabilities, according to the obituary.
Eckman then joined 11Alive, before moving on in the 90s to ESPN and then later Kennesaw State. Across the years he did radio and television announcing for the Hawks and Dream and a host of other teams and events.
Working on behalf of people with disabilities was a passion, and he served on the board of directors of InCommunity for over 35 years as well as the board of directors for Georgia Special Olympics for nine years and a director of high school athletic programs for the Georgia Autism Society for 13 years.
Eckman is survived by his wife Donna Haines Eckman, two daughters Christine Eckman and Kara Eckman Mecke, Kara's husband Ralph Mecke and his two grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305.
The family asks that in memory of Eckman's life and in lieu of flowers, donations can be be made to InCommunity.