Earl McRae
Encyclopedia
Earl McRae was an award-winning journalist who formerly wrote a daily general interest column for the Ottawa Sun
.
. He won 10 column-writing Dunlop Awards for the Sun Media chain. In 2010, McRae was inducted into Algonquin College's Media And Design Hall Of Fame (Journalism) for lifetime achievement.
He wrote two books, Requiem For Reggie and The Victors and the Vanquished, both of which are collections of his magazine sports profiles. One of McRae's magazine articles in which he entered the world duck-calling contest was published in the book, The Treasury of Great Canadian Humour.
In 2002, McRae was awarded the Friendship Medal, the highest civilian honour by the Royal Canadian Legion, for his articles on matters pertaining to the military, not the least of which was his column-writing campaign over several weeks that raised some $250,000 from the public to make it possible for a large group of Canadian veterans to return to Ortona, Italy in 1998 for a reunion ceremony with surviving German vets defeated by the Canadians in the bloodiest battle of the Italian theatre 55 years earlier.
In 2007, McRae won the Canadian Consumers' Choice Man Of The Year
honour in a Leger Marketing poll of consumers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. He worked for the following newspapers: Ottawa Journal
, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, Peterborough Examiner
, Toronto Star
, Canadian Magazine and Ottawa Citizen
. He was a daily columnist for 20 years with the Ottawa Sun
, the last 13 as a general-interest columnist.
He was a CBC-TV sports anchor in Toronto with his own nightly radio sports talk show. McRae wrote film biographies about Sugar Ray Leonard
, Joe Montana
, and marathoners Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar
. Over the last 40 years of his life, he covered some of the biggest news stories. In 1996 he was accused by then CFL
commissioner Larry Smith of being partially responsible for the folding of the Ottawa Rough Riders
. McRae founded the Elvis Sighting Society in Ottawa in 1989, a non-profit registered charity that through its fund-raising events has currently raised upwards of $750,000 for various Ottawa-area charities.
Ottawa Sun
The Ottawa Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is published by Sun Media. It was first published in the early 1980s as the Ottawa Sunday Herald, until it was acquired by Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation in 1988....
.
Biography
McRae won the National Magazine Gold Award for sports journalism three times, the top honour in its field, plus two Silvers, and been nominated eight times. He won three Ontario Newspaper Association awards for his columns. He was runner-up finalist in 2006 for the National Newspaper Award in sports writing for his piece on former heavyweight boxer George ChuvaloGeorge Chuvalo
George Louis Chuvalo, CM is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer who was never knocked down in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979. He is often considered to have had the greatest chin in the history of boxing and to be one of its most durable fighters...
. He won 10 column-writing Dunlop Awards for the Sun Media chain. In 2010, McRae was inducted into Algonquin College's Media And Design Hall Of Fame (Journalism) for lifetime achievement.
He wrote two books, Requiem For Reggie and The Victors and the Vanquished, both of which are collections of his magazine sports profiles. One of McRae's magazine articles in which he entered the world duck-calling contest was published in the book, The Treasury of Great Canadian Humour.
In 2002, McRae was awarded the Friendship Medal, the highest civilian honour by the Royal Canadian Legion, for his articles on matters pertaining to the military, not the least of which was his column-writing campaign over several weeks that raised some $250,000 from the public to make it possible for a large group of Canadian veterans to return to Ortona, Italy in 1998 for a reunion ceremony with surviving German vets defeated by the Canadians in the bloodiest battle of the Italian theatre 55 years earlier.
In 2007, McRae won the Canadian Consumers' Choice Man Of The Year
Man of the Year
A Man of the Year award usually refers to a person nominated as the most influential or meritous in a business, organisation, a specific form of human endeavour, or amongst humanity at large...
honour in a Leger Marketing poll of consumers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. He worked for the following newspapers: Ottawa Journal
Ottawa Journal
The Ottawa Journal was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario from 1885 to 1980.It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the Ottawa Evening Journal. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the Winnipeg Free Press. In 1886, it was bought by Philip Dansken Ross.The...
, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, Peterborough Examiner
Peterborough Examiner
The Peterborough Examiner is a newspaper that services Peterborough, Ontario and area. The paper started circulation in 1847, and is currently owned by the Sun Media, division of Quebecor Media. At one time, it was edited by Canadian man of letters Robertson Davies. It is the only daily newspaper...
, Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, Canadian Magazine and Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
. He was a daily columnist for 20 years with the Ottawa Sun
Ottawa Sun
The Ottawa Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is published by Sun Media. It was first published in the early 1980s as the Ottawa Sunday Herald, until it was acquired by Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation in 1988....
, the last 13 as a general-interest columnist.
He was a CBC-TV sports anchor in Toronto with his own nightly radio sports talk show. McRae wrote film biographies about Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
, Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
, and marathoners Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar is an American marathon runner of the 1980s. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States with his family. They ultimately moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school...
. Over the last 40 years of his life, he covered some of the biggest news stories. In 1996 he was accused by then CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
commissioner Larry Smith of being partially responsible for the folding of the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
. McRae founded the Elvis Sighting Society in Ottawa in 1989, a non-profit registered charity that through its fund-raising events has currently raised upwards of $750,000 for various Ottawa-area charities.