Samuel Balter Jr. (October 15, 1909 – August 8, 1998) was an American basketball player who won a gold medal at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

. He was also a renowned sportscaster.

Career

Balter was born in Detroit, Michigan. He went first to Lincoln High School, and then to Roosevelt High School, both in Los Angeles. He then attended UCLA, where he played basketball and was an NCAA All-American. He competed in the

. As a Jew, he had some hesitation about playing in the Olympics hosted by Hitler's Germany, but was persuaded when he was assured by Avery Brundage that there would be no Nazi propaganda at the games. Balter was part of the American basketball team which won the gold medal. He played in two matches, but not the final match in which the U.S. team won the gold medal. He was one of a number of Jewish athletes who won medals at the Nazi Olympics in Berlin in 1936. Before the Olympics, Balter played college basketball at UCLA and for an amateur basketball team sponsored by Universal Pictures. Balter later turned his celebrity into a career as a Los Angeles sportscaster, announcing at radio station KLAC from 1946 to 1962, and starting his TV career on a local station in 1950. He was known as the "voice of UCLA football and basketball" and also wrote sports columns for the '' Los Angeles Herald-Express''.Los Angeles Radio People, Where are They Now? – B
Retrieved March 30, 2016. Balter was the broadcast announcer for the Los Angeles Stars of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

before the ABA-NBA merger. He also appeared in a number of movies and television shows, always portraying a radio announcer or sportscaster. Balter is a member of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Southern California Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Balter was married and had a daughter. He died as a result of complications from abdominal surgery on August 8, 1998.

Filmography

* '' Straightaway'' (1961–1962), two episodes

References

External links

Olympics Profile
at Jewish Sports Hall of Fame * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balter, Sam 1909 births 1998 deaths Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players American Basketball Association announcers American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1936 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Detroit Cincinnati Reds announcers College basketball announcers in the United States Forwards (basketball) Jewish American sportspeople Jewish men's basketball players Los Angeles Stars Los Angeles Rams announcers Major League Baseball broadcasters Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Minor League Baseball broadcasters Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball UCLA Bruins football announcers UCLA Bruins men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players 20th-century American Jews

Career

Personal life

Filmography

See also

References

External links