Two-time Eclipse Award-winning broadcaster Tom Hammond and the late Eclipse Award-winning cinematographer Joe Burnham have been selected to the National Museum of Racing's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, the museum announced Tuesday.
Hammond, one of television's most respected and versatile talents, began his racing coverage with NBC Sports in 1984 and was the network's main racing host until 2017. Hammond's horse racing coverage has included the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, as well as Summer at Saratoga and the Breeders' Cup. He has also called figure skating, college basketball, Notre Dame football and NFL games for the network.
Burnham (1923-1994), a native of Norfolk, Va., was one of the most esteemed cinematographers and television producers in Thoroughbred racing history, winning an Eclipse Award in 1972 for film achievement and being recognized by the National Turf Writers Association with the Joe Palmer Award in 1991. Burnham filmed the sport of Thoroughbred racing in person through five decades and was instrumental in organizing and archiving decades of historical racing footage. He served as the producer for the Eclipse Awards for 17 years and director for the Thoroughbred Racing Associations Champions Film from 1960 through 1966.
The Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor Committee is comprised of Edward L. Bowen (chairman), president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation; retired Jockey Club vice president of corporate communications Bob Curran; National Museum of Racing trustee Ken Grayson; retired turf publicist Jane Goldstein; and Dan Smith, senior media coordinator of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
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