Among my many thrills as a sportswriter over a 31-year career is sitting among famous brethren in press boxes.

I remember a time in 1992 when I was covering the Bob Hope Chrysler Golf Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. Next to me in the media tent, deliberately crafting a masterpiece while wearing his coke-bottle lens glasses, was famed Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray.

Murray was a legend in his own time. I was a bit hesitant to approach him. But when I finally got up the courage, he took the time to talk with me, not just about golf, but our business in general. When he died in 1998 at 78, we lost one of the greats in our field.

There are fewer and fewer legends in journalism. Partly because the industry has drastically changed. Readers don’t rely nearly as much on skilled writers to get their information. If you want to read how the Broncos did on Sunday afternoon, more than a dozen stories are available to you within an hour after the game. There is no great need to wait until Monday morning to sit down with your sports section while drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

One of the truly great writers of our day is Air Academy High School alum Pat Forde. A member of the Kadets class of 1983, Forde has worked as National College Columnist for Yahoo Sports since 2011.

I have never sat in a press box with Forde, but each time I have called or emailed him he responds with lightning speed. He is as genuine as he appears in his columns or on television.

Years before Forde was a famed sports writer and on-air personality for ESPN, he was a star athlete at Air Academy. He was a two-year letterman in football and basketball and the co-captain of both teams as a senior. Forde received an honorable mention in the Denver Post All-State football team as a junior. He was also a member of the infamous powder puff cheerleader squad for homecoming 1982.

Forde attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism and was chosen as the outstanding news-editorial student in the graduating class of 1987. After his first semester of college, Forde started covering sports for the school’s independent paper, The Maneater. He eventually became an editor at The Maneater.

When Forde began writing for the Columbia Missourian in his junior year. Upon graduation, he landed a job with The Courier-Journal in Louisville. His writing won numerous awards. He initially worked there as a beat reporter and then spent 12 years writing a column.

He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for an investigative series on academic failings in the Louisville athletic department, and twice had stories published in the Best American Sports Writing anthologies.

In 2004, Forde left The Courier-Journal to join ESPN full-time after freelancing for their website for about seven years. During the NCAA football season, Forde wrote a column called “Forde-Yard Dash,” and during the NCAA basketball season, he wrote a column called “Forde Minutes.” He also appeared on ESPN radio and television.

While at ESPN, Forde primarily covered college sports. He worked across all ESPN platforms — TV, radio, online — including regular appearances on “College GameDay” and “First Take.”

In 2011, Forde left ESPN to pursue a career with Yahoo Sports. He resumed his weekly “Forde-Yard Dash” and later resumed his “Forde Minutes” column.

Forde’s daughter, Brooke, is a premier swimmer. She is in her sophomore season with the Stanford swim and dive team. As a freshman, she was a key member of Stanford’s Pac 12 and NCAA Championship teams. She was a three-time All-American.

Danny Summers has been covering sports at all levels in the Pikes Peak region since 2001. Send your story ideas and feedback to danny.summers@pikespeaknewspapers.com.

Pat Forde is 1983 Air Academy High School graduate. He has enjoyed a long career as a sports writer for various outlets.

Courtesy photoDanny SummersDannySummersPikes Peak Newspapers Sports Reporterdanny.summers@gazette.com
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