TV “Instant Replay” inventor dies

The man who revolutionised sports broadcasting by pioneering the instant replay has died aged 81.

The technique was used for the first time on 7 December 1963 during the Army-Navy football game in Philidelphia after Tony Verna developed a method to cue the tape to pinpoint the play he wanted to air again.

He came up with the idea after puzzling over how the fill the gaps between plays in American football.
But the concept was so cutting edge that after Army quarterback Rollie Stichweh scored a touchdown announcer Lindsey Nelson told viewers: “This is not live! Ladies and gentlemen, Army did not score again!”.
It soon became commonplace for TV viewers to be able to re-watch big plays just seconds after they had occurred.

In 2008 Mr Verna said in an interview: “Not many things you can do in life where you can change the way things were happening before.”
He went on to produce or direct five Super Bowls, the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby and Live Aid.
He also worked for two years in Las Vegas as president of Caesar’s Palace Productions, and also directed interviews with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

He died at his home in Palm Desert after a battle with leukaemia.

Source: Sky News