Craig Graham Sager

Craig Graham Sager of Canton, Georgia, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2016, after a courageous three-year battle with leukemia. Known for his work as a sports broadcaster and for his fanciful outfits, Sager’s fight against cancer inspired millions as he fought his way back to the sidelines to cover some of the most memorable games of his Hall of Fame career.

Born June 29, 1951 in Geneva, Illinois, Sager attended McWayne Elementary School and Batavia Middle School before graduating from Batavia High School in 1969. He attended Northwestern University, playing one year of basketball, serving as the school’s mascot, Willie the Wildcat, and as president of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After graduating Northwestern in 1973, Sager began his broadcasting career at WSPB and WYND radio in Sarasota, Florida, before transitioning to television, first as a meteorologist at WLCY in Tampa and then as a sports director and anchor at WINK in Fort Myers. In 1979, Sager moved to KMBC in Kansas City and then to CNN in 1981, just months after its launch.

At CNN, Turner Broadcasting, NBC, ABC and CBS, Sager covered numerous World Series, Super Bowls, Wimbledons, PGA Events, NCAA Tournaments and Olympics, as a host and reporter. In recent years, he became more well-known as the NBA sideline reporter for Turner’s Inside the NBA and its slate of NBA games.

Sager has won numerous Emmy Awards and a Cable Ace Award and was inducted into the National Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame on December 13, 2016. He is also a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Batavia High School Hall of Fame and soon to be Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame in February of 2017.

He is the co-author of Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer and the Things Worth Fighting For, published in November. Sager was the founder and owner of the famed Jocks & Jill’s sports bar and restaurants in Atlanta and his passions included golfing, running, traveling, shopping and attending any live sporting event, from Little League baseball games to the Olympics.

Sager married his “heaven on earth”, bride Stacy, on December 14, 2002 on Paradise Island.

He is survived by Stacy, and children Kacy, Craig II, Krista, Riley and Ryan; sister Candy Menzemer; mother-in-law Mary Jo Strebel; brother-in-laws Christopher Strebel; Scott (Jeanne) Strebel; Daniel Smith (Jennifer Swarts); Kevin (Connie) Strebel; nieces Christy, Kathryn, Lisa; Mckenna and Hannah; nephews Quentin, Brendan, Jason and Benjamin. Sager was predeceased by his parents Al and Coral Sager; aunt Lil Sager; and brother-in-law Rick Menzemer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the SagerStrong Foundation at www.sagerstrongfoundation.org, with all proceeds benefiting cancer research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for the Craig Sager AML Research Fund.