Jack Whitaker is cleaning up in 2012.

Earlier this year, the legendary announcer/essayist received the Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. Tuesday in New York, he was among the inductees to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

In both cases, there is the obvious question: What took so long? Were they going to make Whitaker, now 88, wait until he turned 100 to give him fitting recognition for an exceptional career?

Even Whitaker, ever the gentleman, couldn’t resist a jab during the ceremony Tuesday in New York.

“Thank you for giving me this award and for giving it to me in time for me to remember I got it,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker also noted the difference between then and now in covering sports.

“We used to pal around with (the athletes),” he said. “Now they’re all multi-millionaires.”

Joining Whitaker in the class of 2012 were ESPN executive chairman George Bodenheimer, audio pioneer Ray Dolby, famed NFL commentator Frank Gifford, sports production visionary executive Ed Goren, legendary NBC cameraman Cory Leible, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, NBC operations and engineering guru Jack Weir.

The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is relatively new. Its first class in 2007 featured Roone Arledge, Howard Cosell, Jim McKay and Pete Rozelle.