Monday, October 18, 2010

Bob McNamara (1934-2010)

Many of us who grew up in upstate New York during the 60's and 7o's became acquainted with sportswriter-turned-sportscaster par excellent Bob McNamara, who passed away over the weekend at 76.

McNamara started his career with the Knickerbocker News before shifting to television, and making his on-air debut with WTEN in 1966. My first memory of him, however, was after he'd moved to WRGB sometime in the early 70's. He was, in this writer's opinion, one of the first reporters to put an emphasis on high school sports in our area, showcasing the most outstanding players of the week during football & basketball season. McNamara moved to WNYT in the 80's, where he retired, albeit reluctantly, in 2001 after a public dust-up with a PBA volunteer at a regional tournament in Latham. The station suspended McNamara, who opted instead to retire rather than serve out the suspension and return to work, choosing to relocate to Florida. His career as a sports journalist was over.

Rest in peace, Bob. You've earned it.

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