R.I.P. George Michael

If you are over 25 years old and you love sports then you remember that before we had Sportscenter we had the George Michaels Sports Machine. It was the greatest show ever for a sports fan. We got to see the best sports highlights from around the world before cable tv was in every household. George Michael was not only great on the Sports Machine but he was great to watch on Channel 4 news in the evenings. He would show wrestling highlights, bull fights, Evel Kneivel jumps, etc, etc. And who could forget Full Court Press and the Redskins Report. He basically invented P.T.I. and all these other sports reporter roundtables and shows. George Michaels will be sorely missed. There will never be another. DLR salutes the memory and legacy of a sports pioneer.

Longtime NBC Sports Anchor George Michael Has Died

Michael’s daughter, Michelle Allen, said Michael died from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Michael worked at Washington’s WRC-TV for 28 years until his resignation in 2008. The Washington Post said Michael left the station over budget cuts his programs were facing.

“George Michael was our friend and colleague for more than 25 years. He was a dynamic force around our newsroom and in the entire Washington area,” the station said in a statement Thursday. “George was a pioneer in sports broadcasting. He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller, and one of the hardest working journalists out there. Our hearts go out to his wife Pat and his daughter Michelle, both of whom also worked with us for many years, as well as the rest of his family.”

Michael’s highlight-rich program, which launched in 1984, eventually morphed into “The George Michael Sports Machine” and was syndicated to more than 200 stations at its peak.

“George was the consummate reporter and a valuable friend,” Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said in a statement. “I doubt we’ll ever again see a sports reporter who was so admired by the people he covered.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.