Ernst Huberty, longtime presenter of the ARD sports show and unforgettable as a football commentator, died on April 24, 2023 at the age of 96.
WDR director Tom Buhrow: “We sadly say goodbye to Ernst Huberty. As ‘Mr. Sportschau’, as the audience affectionately called him, he was the first moderator to have a decisive influence on this show: pleasantly calm and with great seriousness. Ernst Huberty will remain with us not only as the moderator of the Sportschau, but also as a sports reporter legend will be remembered forever.”
commenter at “Game of the Century”
Ernst Huberty was the man who moderated the very first sports show on June 4, 1961. He will remain unforgotten as the commentator on the game of the century between Germany and Italy at the 1970 World Cup semifinals in Mexico, the legendary water fight in Frankfurt at the 1974 World Cup and the no less historic night in Belgrade at the final of the 1976 European Football Championship.
Ernst Huberty was born on February 22, 1927 in Trier. After initially working as a sports reporter and presenter at Südwestfunk in Baden-Baden, he came to WDR in 1957, where he became a member of the editorial team for “Here and Today”. Three years later he switched to the sports department, moderated the “Sportschau” from 1961 to 1982 and commented on live games.
Coach for future generations
In 1970 he also took over the management of the sports department at WDR. He later passed on his knowledge to younger colleagues; among others, he coached Reinhold Beckmann and Monica Lierhaus.