Robert A. Fishman to Receive DGA Lifetime Achievement Award

The Directors Guild of America announced on Tuesday that Robert A. Fishman will receive one of the guild’s top honors at the 75th Annual DGA Awards. The televised sports director will receive the lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in television direction at the guild’s Feb. 18 awards ceremony.

“The DGA is thrilled to recognize Bob Fishman for his unprecedented contributions to the direction of live sporting events over a legendary 50-year career,” says DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter in a statement. “From the first live coverage of the Daytona 500 to Tanya Harding’s broken lace drama at the 1994 Olympics to the NCAA Final Four this year, Bob has been the quintessential storyteller in live sports, directing across the broadest possible spectrum.”

Glatter continued: “Bob’s mantra has always been, ‘Don’t miss the live action.’ And he didn’t miss one moment, bringing the action, and the stories behind the action, to life in ways that have influenced his peers and generations of sports fans. In every sport he touched — whether baseball, football, basketball, tennis, auto racing, figure skating or horse racing — Bob always brought his special magic, that commitment to capturing what he calls ‘true emotion’ in his frame and sharing it with viewers nationwide. For his unique body of work combining the art of storytelling, live action, and the power of television, we are incredibly proud to present Bob with this honor for lifetime achievement in television.”

Fishman joined CBS in 1972 as a production assistant and associate director. At the age of 23, he was tapped to direct CBS Morning News segments for the Apollo 17 launch after the lead director fell ill. In 1976, he was tapped to direct CBS Sports’ The NFL Today, beginning his five-decade career in televised sports.

During his time at CBS Sports, he has helmed 39 NCAA Final Fours, 27 U.S. Open tennis championships, 21 Daytona 500s, three Olympic Winter Games, two World Series, numerous NFL and NBA playoffs, college football, Triple Crown horse races and more. He has been nominated for 20 Emmys and has won 16, and was previously honored by the DGA with three DGA Awards for outstanding directorial achievement in sports.

Fishman was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2019, where he said, “I have one goal as a director, and that’s to capture emotional moments. Directing for me — whether it’s film or sports or anything else — is about capturing those moments that have true emotion.”

The 75th Annual DGA Awards will take place on Feb. 18, 2023 at the Beverly Hilton.