One of the most important and lasting innovations claimed by NFL Films under its late founder Ed Sabol wasn’t a visual film-making achievement.
It was an audio advancement.
NFL Films lays claim to have been the first company of its kind to put wireless microphones on-field personnel, including players and coaches. The first coach to wear a wireless mic, per NFL Films, was Philadelphia’s Joe Kuharich in 1965 or 1966. The first player to don a wireless mic was Pittsburgh linebacker Bill Saul in 1967, the company said.
Without NFL Films’ imagination and technological chops, perhaps we never hear Hank Stram as he was in Super Bowl IV, or Mike Singletary calling out signals or Lawrence Taylor sacking Ken O’Brien, kneeling over him and saying, “Son, ya’ll got the bad medicine.”
So as we ponder NFL Films’ legacy upon Sabol’s passing Monday, the company’s ability to capture the sounds of the game shouldn’t go forgotten.
