John Steadman
Encyclopedia
John Steadman was an American sportswriter for The Baltimore Sun
. His career spanned 7 decades and he attended and reported on every Super Bowl from its inception until his death.
high school and was once a minor league baseball player. He decided to leave baseball in order to become a sportswriter.
. He was inducted into the
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
Hall of Fame in 2000.
Steadman served as a color commentator
on Colts
radio broadcasts from 1955-58 and again from 1963-66.
In 1959 he wrote the book "The Greatest Football Game Ever Played: When the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants Faced Sudden Death".
Steadman was honored by the Associated Press
Sports Editors as the posthumous recipient of the Red Smith Award
, America’s most prestigious sports writing honor, on June 29, 2001.
Bromo-Seltzer Tower was named for sportswriter John Steadman's father, John F. Steadman, a legendary Baltimore City Fire Department
Deputy Chief.
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
. His career spanned 7 decades and he attended and reported on every Super Bowl from its inception until his death.
Background
Steadman attended the Baltimore City CollegeBaltimore City College
The Baltimore City College , also referred to as The Castle on the Hill, historically as The College, and most commonly City, is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The City College curriculum includes the International Baccalaureate Programme and emphasizes study in the classics...
high school and was once a minor league baseball player. He decided to leave baseball in order to become a sportswriter.
Career
He was originally hired by the Baltimore News-Post in 1945 as a $14 a week reporter, and in 1952 broke that Baltimore would regain an NFL franchise. Steadman would attend every Baltimore Football game from 1947 to December 10, 2001, a streak of 719 games. He was also one of only eight writers to attend all 34 Super Bowls, through Super Bowl XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
. He was inducted into the
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association
The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, or NSSA, is an organization of sports media members in the United States. It constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports Press Association ....
Hall of Fame in 2000.
Steadman served as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
radio broadcasts from 1955-58 and again from 1963-66.
In 1959 he wrote the book "The Greatest Football Game Ever Played: When the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants Faced Sudden Death".
Steadman was honored by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Sports Editors as the posthumous recipient of the Red Smith Award
Red Smith Award
The Red Smith Award is awarded by the Associated Press Sports Editors for outstanding contributions to sports journalism. It has been awarded annually at the APSE convention since 1981...
, America’s most prestigious sports writing honor, on June 29, 2001.
Family
In 1973, the John F. Steadman firehouse, at the base of Baltimore'sBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
Bromo-Seltzer Tower was named for sportswriter John Steadman's father, John F. Steadman, a legendary Baltimore City Fire Department
Baltimore City Fire Department
The Baltimore City Fire Department serves the city of Baltimore, Maryland and responds to approximately 270,000 emergency calls annually.-History:...
Deputy Chief.