George Michael, the longtime former Sports Anchor for WRC4, passed away this morning as first reported by DCRTV via Twitter. He was 70 and died of cancer. Pictured here at a panel discussion, courtesy of FLICKR user The SABR Office.
Michael and the late Glenn Brenner were the face of DC sports reports since the 1980's. Michael started and hosted the George Michael Sports Machine, a Sunday late night wrap up show that was the alternative to those of us who did not have cable and access to ESPN's SportsCenter. You can't help but wonder what he might have done for ESPN. Some criticized him for being too close to the teams he covered. True, that he was always at Redskins Park the day after games interviewing coaches, owners, and players. And he helped the Washington Wizards as he promoted the contest for the name change from the Bullets.
Beyond the major sports, he was also a champion of the secondary or side sports. NASCAR, hotrod racing, bull riding, even wrestling were always covered on the Sports Machine. Even his nightly sports reports featured these sports. There were dog races in the halls of the NBC studios in Washington every year, thanks to George Michael. Last year at this time, we discussed his final departure from WRC4. At the time, it seemed the end of an era in sports reporting in the DC area. Today marks the complete end. Thanks for the memories.
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