SpringfieldNewsSun.com

When I first moved to the Dayton area, the battle was already raging.

There was Omar Williams on Channel 2 vs. Tom Hamlin on Channel 7. And what a battle it was, because each man was a tireless worker, trying to out-do his rival for the top audience in Dayton TV land.

I don't remember why, but for the most part, I was a Channel 7 guy. Perhaps it was because I thought Don Wayne sounded like Walter Cronkite.

When it came to sports, however, I tried to watch both. It wasn't easy, since they were usually opposite each other.

The reason I tried to watch both was I was fascinated with not only the sportscasters, but with the level of competition between them.

Just as the old days of the Journal-Herald vs. the Daily News, the reader was always the winner. The competitive atmosphere always brought out the best in the reporters covering all of the beats, columnists and sports editors (Ritter vs. Si). There will never be an atmosphere like that again in Dayton in newspapers. Maybe so in television.

I was saddened to hear about the death of "The Dean of Dayton Sportscasters," as Mr. Williams was promoted on Channel 2. He died Saturday in Florida.

He was a professional in every sense of the word. He covered just about every sport and gave his viewers an accurate, interesting report. He was an accomplished play-by-play man. And who can forget his coverage of studio wrestling? To those early mat fans, Omar Williams was wrestling in Dayton.

All I know is when you get to Heaven, you will turn on your television and hear a deep, almost perfect voice say, "Watch the out-of-bounds play...."

Contact this reporter at 225-2409 or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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