Foster William Alfred Hewitt (December 6, 1928 – December 25, 1996) was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster. He was the son of hockey broadcaster

Foster Hewitt Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt. Early life ...

and the grandson of ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' journalist

W. A. Hewitt William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the ''To ...

Playing career

Bill Hewitt played competitive football and hockey and competed in

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

while attending

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Sports broadcasting

After graduation, Bill Hewitt took a broadcasting job at CJRL in

Kenora Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The history of the name exten ...

, Ontario. He was then hired as sports director of

CFOS CFOS is an AM radio station broadcasting from Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. The format is oldies, classic adult contemporary music, and news (plus an adult standards/nostalgic music show, "Remember When", several nights a week from 8-11 p.m.), a ...

Owen Sound Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...

, Ontario, and later held the same title at CKBB in

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

. In 1951, his father launched CKFH in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

at which the younger Hewitt became its sports director at age 23. In the mid-1950s, Hewitt began substituting on Toronto Maple Leafs hockey broadcasts when his father was given other assignments by the CBC, such as covering the

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the I ...

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

. By 1958, both Hewitts were working together for ''

Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...

'' games involving the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, with him calling the play-by-play and his dad serving as color commentator. Beginning in 1963, his dad returned to the radio, and he became the TV voice of the

. In 1981, a

blood infection Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are infections of blood caused by blood-borne pathogens. The detection of microbes in the blood (most commonly accomplished by blood cultures) is always abnormal. A bloodstream infection is different from sepsis, w ...

forced Hewitt out of the broadcast booth at the relatively young age of 53. The

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

awarded Hewitt the 2007 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.

Personal life

Hewitt died on December 25, 1996, and was interred in Stone Church Cemetery, east of

Beaverton, Ontario Beaverton is a community in Brock, Ontario, Brock Township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Simcoe at the mouth of the Beaver River (Lake Simcoe), Beaver River. History Beaverton ...

References

External links

Foster's Shadow: The On-Air Meltdown of Bill Hewitt @ WFMU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewitt, Bill 1928 births 1996 deaths Canadian radio sportscasters Canadian television sportscasters Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners Hewitt family National Hockey League broadcasters Olympic Games broadcasters Sportspeople from Toronto Toronto Maple Leafs announcers Upper Canada College alumni

Playing career

Sports broadcasting

Personal life

See also

References

External links