San Antonio sports icon Dan Cook dead at 81

Tools

San Antonio sports icon Dan Cook dead at 81

Dan Garcia

Story Created: Jul 4, 2008 at 9:11 AM CST

Story Updated: Jul 4, 2008 at 9:11 AM CST

San Antonio (AP) -  Dan Cook, the San Antonio sports writer who popularized the phrase "the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings," has died. He was 81.

Cook's career in San Antonio journalism spanned more than 50 years, in which he became one of the state's top sportswriters and sports columnists.

The San Antonio Express-News, for whom Cook worked for 51 years, reported that he died Thursday night after a long illness. Cook was also the sports anchor at San Antonio television station KENS for 44 years, from 1956 to 2000. Most of those years, the station was owned by the Express-News.

It was Cook who first popularized the phrase, "the Opera ain't over till the fat lady sings," while discussing an NBA playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets on a 1978 newscast. The Yale Book of Quotations later concluded it was first quoted in print in 1976, attributed to Texas Tech sports information director Ralph Carpenter, and was a variation on an old Southern saying.

In few American cities did one person dominate sports media as did Cook in San Antonio.

Cook worked for the Express-News from 1952 through his retirement in 2003. Between his newspaper and television duties, Cook wrote six columns a week and delivered two sports telecasts and two radio commentaries each day. That's on top of his duties as Express-News executive sports editor, which he was from 1960 to 1975.

Barry Robinson, former Express-News sports editor and now its director of administration and recruitment, was hired by Cook in 1969. He recalled that Cook once turned down an offer to move to Chicago and become a syndicated columnist to remain in San Antonio.

Funeral is pending at Sunset Funeral Home. Survivors include his wife, Katy; brother Frank Cook of Houston; daughters Marie Gian of Rockport and Alice Ann Ashton of San Antonio; son Danny Cook of San Antonio; three grandchildren.

Friday, Jul 4 at 12:43 PM Buddy Wondra wrote ...

Dan was a very good man he was good friends with my father and uncles he will be missed but never forgotten.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 500 Characters Left

KAUZ News Channel 6 and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

More Good Stuff

Weather

Icon
Current Temp : 61.0 °
Fair
More Weather
High: Sunday - 78
Low: Tonight - 54
Conditions Today
About 10 degrees above normal again for your Sunday. Slight rain chance on Monday.

KAUZ Poll Question

Do you think Texoma's unemployment numbers will hit 10% before the economy recovers?

  • Yes
  • No

AP Video

Stock Quotes
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

What's On KAUZ

7.00
ncis: los angeles
8.00
strikeforce: saturday night fights