The 1980s were one of the greatest decades in Los Angeles sports history.
Eight championships were won by local teams, including the first Super Bowl victory, two Dodgers World Series crowns and five NBA titles for the Lakers. Seven out of the 10 Rose Bowl games featured LA-area teams and six of those teams won.
There to witness it all was Fred Roggin.
One of the great careers in Los Angeles sports journalism began at the dawn of the decade, when Roggin joined NBC4 in 1980. The Southern California TV sports legend, who witnessed the history-making and memorable moments of the 1980s and the highs and lows in the more than four decades that followed, will sign off for the final time Thursday, Jan. 26, the station announced Tuesday.
And now, after taking a ride in a DeLorean back to 1981, Fred Roggin shares an All Star report from 41 years ago.
Roggin will step away from daily sports segments at NBC4 and turn his attention to creative outlets, like his radio show and other opportunities.
Just like those Los Angeles teams of the 1980s, Roggin earned a collection of accolades during his career. He won dozens of awards, including 35 Los Angeles Emmy Awards, 30 Golden Mike Awards, five prestigious Associated Press Awards and numerous Los Angeles Press Club Awards for his sports segments, specials and series.
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Roggin was part of a lineup of Southern California TV news icons that included anchors Chuck Henry and Colleen Williams and weather forecaster Fritz Coleman. He also was the host of “Going Roggin,” a 30-minute sports commentary program and is the creator and host of “The Challenge,” a live multi-platform show.
Roggin also earned the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement from The Los Angeles Press Club in 2013. He was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame in 2014 and the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2020, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California.
The iconic Fritz and Fred campaign graced the airwaves in the 90s. Now as Fritz Coleman retire the duo looks back on the memorable TV spot. As seen on the 5 p.m. news on Wednesday, June 17, 2020.
His NBC4 career began in 1980 as a weekend sports anchor and with the launch of “Sunday Night Sports.” By 1986, Roggin was the station’s primary sports anchor and reporter, a career that allowed him to witness the highs and lows of Los Angeles sports over the next four decades.
Using humor and satire, Roggin created segments such as the “Hall of Shame,” featuring clips of unforgettable sports moments, and his signature “Roggin’s Heroes,” which highlights remarkable or extraordinary plays in the world of sports. “Roggin’s Heroes” was developed into a successful nationally syndicated, weekly show in 1990.
The “Roggin’s Heroes” segment continues to this day in his newscasts.
He’s also a familiar face to fans of NBC’s Olympics coverage. Roggin has been a network host and reporter for every Olympics since 1984, including in Los Angeles, London, Vancouver, Beijing, Athens, Turin, Sydney and Salt Lake.
Roggin began his broadcasting career in 1976 as a sports anchor, reporter and play-by-play announcer for KIKO Radio in Globe, Arizona. In 1977, he became the sports anchor, reporter and sports director for KBLU Radio and KYEL-TV in Yuma, Arizona. The next year, he became the sports director and anchor for KVUE-TV in Austin, Texas, and during that same year moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to become the weekday sports anchor at KPNX-TV.
Originally from Detroit, Roggin was raised in Phoenix and attended Phoenix College, where he studied broadcasting. Roggin lives with his family in the San Fernando Valley.