Hilliard Gates
Hilliard Gates was a sportscaster known for his role in Indiana sports broadcasting. Born Hilliard Gates Gudelsky on December 14, 1915, he grew up with three brothers and attended Muskegon High School in Michigan, where he played tennis and basketball. He later attended junior college in Muskegon for two years, where he developed an interest in writing, reporting, and broadcasting.
"I loved to write," Gates said. "That was the strongest part of my broadcasting in radio. I felt I could feel the impact and write the words that would pass impact along to the readers."
Gates began his broadcasting career in 1937 at WKBZ in Muskegon, Michigan, where his first assignment was calling a football game.
"I was nervous," he said. "I didn't think I did a very good job. I didn't take it seriously enough."
He worked there for three years before moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1940 to join WOWO/WGL as a studio announcer and sportscaster. He helped expand the sports department and worked closely with fellow broadcasters, including Eldon Campbell, with whom he lived for a time.
"I would say that we [at WOWO] were closer than anything else I've been around to being a family," Gates said.
During World War II, Gates was drafted in 1942 but was reassigned due to asthma and hay fever. He was stationed at an infantry base in South Carolina before being placed in Special Services at Fort Wayne. In 1943, he served in the Army Air Corps while continuing part-time work at WOWO. In 1947, he was hired by WKJG radio as Station Manager and Sportscaster. In 1953, when WKJG-TV launched as the first television station in Fort Wayne, Gates was the first person to appear live on air. He later became the station's Vice President and General Manager.
Gates covered high school basketball games starting in 1940 and provided television coverage of the Indiana state finals beginning in 1954. He also hosted "Gatesway to Sports" on WKJG-TV.
"Preparation was my middle name," Gates said. "If I couldn't prepare, I didn't want to do the game."
His broadcasting extended nationally as he called the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 for the Mutual network, provided play-by-play coverage for the 1967 and 1968 Rose Bowls on NBC radio, and covered the Indianapolis 500 for nine years for Canadian television.
In 1969, Gates became the first broadcaster inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named Indiana Sportscaster of the Year seven times and served twice as president of the Indiana Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association. He was involved in organizations, including the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite, Royal Order of Jesters, and the Elks Lodge. The Hilliard Gates Sports Center at Purdue University Fort Wayne was named in his honor. He also had a role in the 1986 film "Hoosiers," re-creating the historic finish as an announcer.
Gates retired in 1993 and passed away on November 21, 1996, at the age of 80.
Luzane Draughon
Information from Indiana Broadcast Pioneers and "In the Public Interest"
Last update: March 2025
Edited by Katherine Maners