Charles D’Onofrio began his career as a technical manager at CBS in 1949, where he remained for almost 40 years. During his tenure there, he became one of the industry’s best, handling the equipment and video maintenance and operation.

D’Onofrio’s experience was wide and varied. He worked on numerous iconic early television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show, Captain Kangaroo and The Evening News with Walter Cronkite.

However, D’Onofrio work most extensively in sports programming. He served as the technical manager for 11 Super Bowls, 20 U.S. Open Tennis tournaments, 39 Masters tournaments and numerous Kentucky Derbys.

He also won Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. At CBS Sports, a Waterford crystal vase with the letter “D” on it, in D’Onofrio’s honor, is now given out at the end of each season to the technical crew member who best exemplifies overall excellence.

D’Onofrio died on December 27, 2014, in Armonk, New York. He was 92.