Stan Hochman

Stan Hochman

It was with great sadness that I heard that legendary Philadelphia sportswriter and columnist Stan Hochman died today at the age of 86 after a brief illness.

Angelo Cataldi and the morning team on WIP radio styled Hochman as "the grand imperial poobah of Philadelphia sports" and I guess in many ways that was true. Hochman was one of the old guard of local sportswriters that included such luminaries as Frank Dolson, Ray Didinger and Bill Lyon; a holdover from a time when people got their sports news and commentary largely from reading the newspaper. He wrote for the Daily News for over 50 years, and was a staple on TV and radio.

Up until just a few weeks ago, Hochman sill did a weekly call-in to WIP to give his take on the week's sports news. To the very end he was insightful, wise and entertaining. By all accounts, he was as good a man as he was a writer.

Rest in peace, Stan.