Sports television pioneer Geoffrey Mason dies at 85

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Geoffrey Mason, who was the coordinating producer for the 1972 Munich Olympics and went on to a five-decade career with multiple networks, has died at the age of 85.

ESPN reported Mason died Sunday, Jan. 25, in Naples, Florida. He died of natural causes, according to his family.

"Geoff Mason was a friend and a colleague who had a storied career, touching just about every corner of the sports television industry," said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC and ESPN. "He had a passion for the business, which was evidenced in his prodigious work ethic and the constant love and enthusiasm he exhibited on everything he worked on."

ESPN remembers Geoffrey Mason, one of sports television’s most accomplished & honored production executives, who passed away on Sunday

More: https://t.co/sl1WdiHam0pic.twitter.com/ypjDrGYazN

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 25, 2026

Mason was a central figure in the ABC Sports control room in 1972 when a Palestinian terrorist group stormed the Olympic Village in Munich and took several members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage.

A standoff with police lasted for 22 hours as ABC provided riveting around-the-clock coverage that ended with a failed rescue attempt. Six Israeli coaches and five athletes died as anchor Jim McKay memorably broke the news to viewers: "They're all gone."

Mason served as a consultant on the feature film, "September 5" about the Olympic massacre. It was one of a total of eight Olympics he worked for ABC. He was also employed by NBC, Fox and NFL Network over his lengthy career, one in which he earned 24 Emmy Awards.

A U.S. Navy veteran and graduate of Duke University, Mason was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geoffrey Mason, sports television pioneer, dies at 85