Sandy Grossman Dead at 78

Legendary TV sports director Sandy Grossman has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 78.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the eight-time Emmy winner directed 21 seasons of NFL coverage fronted by analyst John Maddenand play-by-play man Pat Summerall for CBS and Fox. He came to Fox from CBS with Madden and Summerall for the 1994 season, when Fox first got NFC rights -- a major boon for the network.

Grossman directed a record 10 Super Bowls -- seven for CBS and three for Fox -- five Stanley Cup Finals for Fox and 18 NBA Finals for CBS during his career. 

"The key to anything is, 'What does the viewer want to see?' " Grossman said in a 2011 interview with the Palm Beach Post. "It's not just what I want to show. Somebody out there is an aficionado of the sport and I didn't want to offend them. I always made a point to treat every event I did like it was the Super Bowl because, for them, it is."

Grossman worked with Madden and Summerall for 21 years. "How many guys can say that? It was an unbelievable experience." They were three of about 20 staffers who moved from CBS to Fox as a result of the 4-year, $1.58 billion deal in 1994.

He earned an Emmy for directing the 1980 Super Bowl and other statues for events such as the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games, where he directed hockey for CBS in Albertville and Lillehammer, respectively.