<\/a>Steve Gorsuch was known for being able to make everyone feel equally welcome at the US Open, whether a long-time domestic rightsholder or a brand-new international rightsholder.<\/p><\/div>\n
USTA CEO Lew Sherr<\/strong> says that, for more than 15 years, Gorsuch was<\/em> the US Open broadcast team: \u201cHe made sure the US Open was on the air all around the world. He knew every inch of the grounds, the angle of every camera. Steve oversaw many of the innovations of the US Open coverage as the event grew beyond all expectations to include new stadiums and a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium.\u201d<\/p>\nESPN<\/strong> VP, Production, Jamie Reynolds<\/strong>, who worked closely with Gorsuch on the US Open, says he made an event work seamlessly. \u201cHe had a great sense of understanding the scope of a project, the ability to bring the right people together, and could always find a solution to any sort of problem. Steve always came with a smile that matched his dry wit and always had just enough historical perspective to make every recommendation (or directive) take on a little more meaning. His experience and storytelling benefit us all.\u201d<\/p>\nStarting Out<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn the summer between his junior and senior years at American University in Washington, DC, Gorsuch was walking down a hallway in Monmouth Park Racetrack and saw a sign that said TV Control Room. At the time, he was studying TV production at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked in,\u201d Gorsuch once recalled, \u201cand the head guy in the control room said, \u2018What do you do?\u2019 And I said, \u2018I\u2019d like to do camera.\u2019 He said, \u2018OK, great, you start on Monday.\u2019 That was basically the interview.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gorsuch operated camera at Monmouth Park for the rest of that summer. Although his interests tended more toward sports video and photography, he secured an internship with NBC News in Washington, DC, during his senior year. After graduating, he continued to do racetrack camerawork for two more years, adding Aqueduct, Saratoga, Belmont, Yonkers, Roosevelt, Liberty Bell, Atlantic City Racecourse, and Freehold to his r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n
While working at Belmont and Saratoga, Gorsuch became acquainted with the CBS Sports team covering the races. Two years after graduating from college, he went to work for the company packaging the CBS Sports Spectacular<\/em>, Marvin Sugarman Productions. In 1975, while covering a race at Yonkers, he heard that CBS Sports was hiring. Once again, Gorsuch decided to walk into the place he wanted to work and see what would happen.<\/p>\n\u201cI heard that the next day was the last day they were hiring,\u201d he said, \u201cso I went down to CBS, walked in the door, went up to be interviewed, and they hired me on the spot. Luckily, a lot of the production people were CBS Sports people I had worked with on CBS Sports Spectacular<\/em>,<\/em> so they already knew me [even though] I wasn\u2019t a CBS Sports guy.\u201d<\/p>\nIt didn\u2019t take long for Gorsuch to become a \u201cCBS Sports guy.\u201d From 1975 to \u201982, he served as a camera operator, covering various events including the U.S. Open and the Super Bowl. Gorsuch\u2019s last year in this capacity coincided with John Madden<\/strong>\u2019s first as a Super Bowl commentator \u2014 Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silver Dome \u2014 for which Madden stressed the need for camera assignments when televising football.<\/p>\n\u201c[Madden] took the whole camera crew and said, \u2018Listen, guys. We\u2019re going to do assignments,\u2019\u201d remembered Gorsuch. Instead of having each camera operator follow a wide receiver in motion, who may do nothing, Madden encouraged the entire crew to recognize the plays and to break away in the middle to focus on the action.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomewhere during the first quarter, I think, everybody on the camera crew realized this really works,\u201d said Gorsuch. \u201cWe [would get] a million angles without having a million tape machines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former CBS Sports Co-ordinating Producer Lance Barrow<\/strong> says he first worked with Gorsuch while Barrow was a spotter for Pat Summerall<\/strong>. At that time, Gorsuch handled the camera in the booth, but it was on the golf events where their relationship blossomed.<\/p>\n\u201cIn golf,\u201d Barrow notes, \u201cyou\u2019re dealing every week with different organizations, different groups, and different people running the golf tournament. Steve made everybody feel comfortable and made everybody feel like they were as important as anyone in the room. And he had experience at so many positions and knew what it was like to be in different kinds of positions. I think that\u2019s what made him so good, along with being a great person.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1982, Gorsuch retired his camera in favor of a new career as a technical director. After spending two years with WCBS New York and a year with CBS Evening News<\/em>, he returned to CBS Sports as a sports technical director. Soon, he was named CBS Sports\u2019 first \u201chyphenate,\u201d a position created by CBS fusing the technical-director and manager roles. Though citing the role as one of his most challenging, Gorsuch succeeded in juggling management concerns with union opinions by putting fairness above allegiance.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen first asked how I would side with any one team, I said I\u2019m just going to be fair,\u201d said Gorsuch. \u201cYou\u2019re only as good as your word.\u201d<\/p>\n