Awful Announcing and the many other websites, podcasts, and people covering sports media all follow in the footsteps of former USA Today columnist Rudy Martzke, who recently passed away.
The news was confirmed by his son Brett Martzke, who posted the news Thursday morning on X. Rudy Martzke was 82.
On Friday, tributes flooded social media as various sports media professionals paid tribute to Martzke, a pioneer who wrote what is believed to be the first regular national sports media column at USA Today.
That column, which featured trademarks such as “Around the Dial,” “Dreaded Glitch Award,” and “Best Line,” among others, began in 1982 and ended with Martzke’s retirement from the paper in 2005.
Very sad about the passing of the great Rudy Martzke. A friend, great sense of humor, bulldog reporter, fellow Badger (and a huge fan), sports media industry legend. Helped many a PR person (definitely me) and others across the industry with their careers…hurt a few, too.
— Greg Hughes (@GregHughesNBCSG) November 22, 2024
Rudy Martzke….ONE OF A KIND. We all have our stories. He was a relentless reporter. A beat reporter who connected direct and deeply knew his beat. His hundreds of spiral notebooks contain the history of sports television and off-the-record quotes would tell the untold story.
— LeslieAnne Wade (@LeslieAnneWade) November 22, 2024
Sad to hear that Rudy Martzke has passed away. There is a bevy of sports media reporters now but Martzke was the 🐐. He was the primary reason I sought out the USA Today sports page back in the day and helped seed an interest in sports media for me. Thank you, Rudy. #RIP
— Brent Axe (@BrentAxeMedia) November 22, 2024
Remembering the most-followed reporter in sports media history, USA Today’s Rudy Martzke. We had thousands of discussions; they all seemed to include either aggravation or a good laugh. Here in Bristol with Roger Werner and the man who made everyone laugh, Beano Cook. pic.twitter.com/X4HxBjHBeu
— Mike Soltys (@MichaelJSoltys) November 22, 2024
Spent a good part of my professional career dealing with Rudy Martzke. Lots good, some bad… either way, we always laughed after. RIP Rudy.
— Vince Wladika (@TVvInce) November 22, 2024
When you saw this byline in @USATODAY Sports, you knew it would be a must-read. Never had the chance to work w/ Rudy Martzke but met him after I joined ESPN. A legendary figure and a good man. Very sad to hear of his passing today. pic.twitter.com/tdH5heigHk
— bill hofheimer (@bhofheimer_espn) November 22, 2024
Upon his retirement in 2005 from his regular column, Sports Business Journal collected several quotes that paid homage to Martzke’s career at USA Today and the influence he held over the industry.
Before the days when everyone was a broadcast critic on social media, Martzke’s words in the newspaper were the defining word on the trends in the industry and held significant importance.
In St. Louis, Dan Caesar wrote Martzke influenced “major decisions in the sports departments of America’s biggest television networks.” Some execs “would fear his words, and … some would say sportscasters’ careers could rise or fall based merely on his opinions.” Caesar: “As USA Today grew, so did the impact of Martzke’s column. By the early ‘90s, the Sporting News included him on its list of the 100 most powerful people in sports for four consecutive years.” CBS’ Jim Nantz: “He has certainly wielded a lot of power in network television. He got people’s attention.” CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer said, “Every network executive will say he paid no attention to him. But I think he’s had an incredible effect on decisions that were made, on people’s careers both positively and negatively” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/12).
But of course, as anyone who covers sports media (especially at Awful Announcing) will tell you, covering this industry is not a great or quick way to make friends. As much as people respected Martzke for his bold and brash opinions, there were also those who didn’t quite appreciate his work.
In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes, “Martzke’s tenacity as a reporter were the qualities that made his column a success. His clout was undeniable. But his style, his ability with words, didn’t overwhelm some observers.” The late Dick Schaap once said, “Martzke is one of the most influential reporters in America, and the fact that he has reached this prestigious position without displaying taste, judgment or grace in the use of the English language is some tribute to Rudy Martzke” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/15)
In many ways, Rudy Martzke was ahead of his time as the sports media beat has grown from a USA Today column to an entire genre of the greater sports universe.
