Speaker Biography
He is “The Man for All Seasons”.
Name the sport and Rod Black has more than likely called the game.
For over 40 years, the award-winning broadcaster has had a front row seat and provided a soundtrack to many of Canada’s greatest sports moments.
From his early days as a young reporter at CKY TV in Winnipeg to his network commitments as a host and play by play announcer with CTV and TSN, Black has done it all. From NHL hockey to the NBA, Major League Baseball to the NFL and CFL, PGA & LPGA golf, World Championship boxing, ATP and WTA tennis, international figure skating, Indy Car and Formula One auto racing, the Masters, the Kentucky Derby, World Cup Soccer, speedskating, cycling, Canadian & USA college sports and of course both the Summer and Winter Olympics where Black not only hosted prime time shows in 1992 and1994 but also called several historic gold medals in 2010 and 2012.
A consummate professional who displays passion and excitement in all that he does, Black is a nine-time Canadian Screen Award & Gemini nominee. In 2005, Rod received the Sports Media Canada award for Most Outstanding Broadcaster.
Inducted into the media wing of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, Black’s broadcasting abilities are not limited to the sports world. The ultra-adaptable announcer is a popular guest speaker, a voice and film actor, an author, and the former co-host of Canada AM-Canada’s most-watched national morning show.
Despite his chaotic work schedule Rod still has found time to lend his voice and donate his time to a great number of Canadian charities – Special Olympics, Sick Kids Hospital, Childrens Aid Foundation, Canadian Mens Health Foundation, United Way, Easter Seals Ontario, Right to Play, Pro Action Cops and Kids, Kids Help Phone, Canadian Cancer Society, CNIB, CAMH, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and many more.
An honorary spokesperson and ambassador for Plan Canada, Rod has received the Queen’s medallion and Diamond Jubilee medal for volunteerism.
When asked what his favorite moment has been in his acclaimed career, Rod pauses and says, “The next one. Truly, I absolutely love every memory, but I also wake up every day knowing that there are new great memories to discover. That is what sport teaches us. To enjoy the moments and create new ones. Learn all the lessons from these games – good and bad – and hopefully adapt them into our day to day lives. Nothing can do that like sport.”
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