Art Spander
Encyclopedia
Arthur Melvin Spander is an award-winning American sports writer. Through 7/21/08, he was a columnist for the Oakland Tribune/MediaNews and the American columnist for the Scotland Sunday Herald and the London-based Daily Telegraph. In 1999 he was awarded the McCann Award, earning him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
and in 2007 he was honored with the Masters Major Achievement Award.
Spander began his career as a news writer for United Press International
in Los Angeles in 1960, and started writing sports full time in 1963 for the Santa Monica Outlook where he was the beat writer for the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Dodgers and covered UCLA and USC football and basketball. In 1965 he moved to the San Francisco Chronicle
, where he covered golf, football, baseball and basketball. Spander became the lead sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner in 1979.
Spander has covered 42 consecutive Masters Tournaments, 32 Super Bowls, 40 U.S. Open
Golf Tournaments, 29 British Open
Golf Tournaments, 25 Wimbledons
and 25 Final Four
's. He has also attended 55 consecutive Rose Bowls, initially as a spectator and vendor and the last 45 as a journalist.
He was voted "California Sports Writer of the Year" by his peers in 1980, and is the only person to win Golf Writers Association of America first place awards in each of five decades.
In addition to his newspaper work, Spander is a contributor to various sports magazines. He is also a frequent commentator on sports talk radio. Spander had a regular gig on ESPN radio in the late 1990s and is often on the Gary Radnich
Show on KNBR 680 in San Francisco.
He has also written or co-authored three books:
"Golf The Passion and The Challenge" with Mark Mulvoy, 1977; "The Art Spander Collection", forward by Al Michaels
, 1989, Taylor Publishing; and "Keeping On Course, Golf Tips on Avoiding the Sandtraps of Today's Business World" with Gary Shemano, 1997 McGraw-Hill.
Spander recently wrote the foreword for "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Los Angeles Lakers: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from Los Angeles Lakers History", written by Steve Travers, 2007, Triumph Books.
Born in Los Angeles, CA, Spander is a graduate of Dorsey High School and UCLA. Spander and his wife Liz reside in Oakland, CA. He has two daughters, Wendy, a publicist for Electronic Arts, and Debbie, a sports and entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
and in 2007 he was honored with the Masters Major Achievement Award.
Spander began his career as a news writer for United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
in Los Angeles in 1960, and started writing sports full time in 1963 for the Santa Monica Outlook where he was the beat writer for the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Dodgers and covered UCLA and USC football and basketball. In 1965 he moved to the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, where he covered golf, football, baseball and basketball. Spander became the lead sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner in 1979.
Spander has covered 42 consecutive Masters Tournaments, 32 Super Bowls, 40 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
Golf Tournaments, 29 British Open
British Open
The British Open is the Open Championship men's golf tournament.British Open may also refer to:* Women's British Open of golf* British Open Show Jumping Championships* British Open Squash Championships...
Golf Tournaments, 25 Wimbledons
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and 25 Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
's. He has also attended 55 consecutive Rose Bowls, initially as a spectator and vendor and the last 45 as a journalist.
He was voted "California Sports Writer of the Year" by his peers in 1980, and is the only person to win Golf Writers Association of America first place awards in each of five decades.
In addition to his newspaper work, Spander is a contributor to various sports magazines. He is also a frequent commentator on sports talk radio. Spander had a regular gig on ESPN radio in the late 1990s and is often on the Gary Radnich
Gary Radnich
Gary Radnich is the host of the 9 a.m. to noon slot on KNBR radio in San Francisco, California, and is also the lead sports anchor on KRON television.-Early life:...
Show on KNBR 680 in San Francisco.
He has also written or co-authored three books:
"Golf The Passion and The Challenge" with Mark Mulvoy, 1977; "The Art Spander Collection", forward by Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
, 1989, Taylor Publishing; and "Keeping On Course, Golf Tips on Avoiding the Sandtraps of Today's Business World" with Gary Shemano, 1997 McGraw-Hill.
Spander recently wrote the foreword for "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Los Angeles Lakers: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from Los Angeles Lakers History", written by Steve Travers, 2007, Triumph Books.
Born in Los Angeles, CA, Spander is a graduate of Dorsey High School and UCLA. Spander and his wife Liz reside in Oakland, CA. He has two daughters, Wendy, a publicist for Electronic Arts, and Debbie, a sports and entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles.