Dick Schaap passed away on December 21, 2001. He was a titan in the sports media industry for four decades. Schaap wrote for Newsweek and SPORT. He also appeared on TV at ABC, NBC, and ESPN.
Schaap will be honored by his son and ESPN on Tuesday with an edition of Outside the Lines dedicated to his legacy. Jerry Kramer and Joe Namath will join Jeremy Schaap to share memories of his father and to discuss the legacy he created for sports reporting. Dick Schaap co-authored autobiographies of both men.
ESPN viewers of a certain age likely remember Dick Schaap best as the host of The Sports Reporters. It is a role he assumed in 1988 and held until September of 2001. His final appearance on the show was on September 16 of that year, a special edition of the show responding to the terrorist attacks five days earlier.
During his life and after his death, Schaap received numerous honors. The Sports Emmy division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences renamed their writing category “The Dick Schaap Outstanding Writing Award.” The Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame also has an award that recognizes outstanding journalism work named in his honor.
One of the most unique distinctions held by Dick Schaap is that he is the only person to have ever held a vote for the Tony Awards and the Heisman Trophy.
The special edition of Outside the Lines will air Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 pm Eastern. It will be available on ESPN and the ESPN app.
