Keith Quinn, MNZM (born in Te Kuiti, 1 September 1946), is an author, and one of New Zealand's most experienced television sports commentators.
A sports fan from an early age, Quinn was educated at Wellington College, before joining state broadcaster the NZBC as a cadet in 1965. Quinn commentated his first game of rugby for radio in 1971, and for television in 1973, a year after the NZ Rugby Football Union first allowed rugby games to be telecast live. He has also covered seven Olympic and nine Commonwealth Games, and has commentated on everything from swimming and table tennis to motor sport.
In 1977 Quinn wrote the first of more than 12 books about sport, Lions '77. Quinn's other works include three editions of The Encyclopedia of World Rugby and his 2000 autobiography A Lucky Man. In that book he rated presenting 1999 television show The Legends of the All Blacks as "one of the most enjoyable and stimulating experiences of my life". The programme explored the history of the New Zealand rugby team through interviews with past All Blacks, and some of the international teams that had played them.
Quinn was awarded the MNZM for his services to sports journalism in 1997.
In July 2007, TVNZ announced Quinn would be made redundant from the state broadcaster, along with fellow sports broadcasters John McBeth and Geoff Bryan. Quinn was part of the commentary team for Māori Television's coverage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Quinn is still a regular commentator for the IRB Sevens World Series coverage and commentates for the Rugby Channels College Rugby coverage.
Famous quotes containing the words keith and/or quinn:
“He that hung upon the Torturing Tree
Heard all the crickets singing, and was glad.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“In Europe an actor is an artist. In Hollywood, if he isn’t working, he’s a bum.”
—Anthony Quinn (b. 1915)