CLEVELAND — Dan Coughlin, who worked in Cleveland sports media for six decades as one of its best and brightest stars, has died.
WJW Channel 8, where Coughlin spent the last 41 years of his career, announced his death Sunday afternoon. He had completed his last assignment just two days ago, covering the St. Edward-Saint Ignatius high school football game for Fox 8's "Friday Night Touchdown."
"We are comforted in the fact that Dan did what he truly loved right up until his passing," Fox 8 wrote in a statement. "We have truly lost a legend and a great friend."
A graduate of St. Ed who served in the U.S. Army, Coughlin joined his hometown journalism scene in 1964 as a sportswriter for The Plain Dealer, covering major events across the country while also serving on the Cleveland Indians beat. Following a brief stint with the now-defunct Cleveland Press, he made his way to television in 1983, becoming a fixture in the community while he reported on everything from high school to college to professional sports.
"I have enjoyed two great careers," Coughlin told Cleveland Seniors in 2011. "I was there for the best years of newspapers and the best years of television."
Additionally, Coughlin wrote several books and hosted a number of local radio shows, and even called Indians games on TV during the 1990 season. He was inducted into The Press Club of Cleveland Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
We at 3News send our thoughts and prayers to Dan's family and all his colleagues at Fox 8 and elsewhere who knew and loved him. He will be dearly missed.
Watch Dan's 2019 interview with 3News' Jim Donovan:
