Larry Felser, who chronicled Buffalo sports for more than 50 years and became an icon in the newspaper business, died today.
Felser worked for The Buffalo News for 38 years, the last 25 as the lead sports columnist for the paper. He was an authoritative, provocative voice who had a greater connection to the heartbeat of Buffalo sports fans than any newspaper man Western New York has known. He turned 80 on April 5 and died at the Beechwood Continuing Care facility in Amherst after a brief illness.
A Buffalo native, Felser began his newspaper career at the Courier-Express in 1953 and worked there for 12 years before joining The News. He covered the Buffalo Bills from their inception in 1960 to his retirement in 2001. He continued to write a weekly sports column in The News until 2012. He held the title of sports editor for the last 20 years of his News tenure.
Felser was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1984 he received the Dick McCann Memorial Award for distinguished reporting of professional football. The award is presented by the Pro Football Writers of America. Felser had served as the youngest president in that group’s history.
Felser was a nationally prominent sportswriter since the late 1960s, in part due to a weekly column he wrote for the Sporting News.
Felser is survived by his wife of 47 years, Beverly, and two daughters, Ellen and Niecy. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
email: mgaughan@buffnews.com
Felser worked for The Buffalo News for 38 years, the last 25 as the lead sports columnist for the paper. He was an authoritative, provocative voice who had a greater connection to the heartbeat of Buffalo sports fans than any newspaper man Western New York has known. He turned 80 on April 5 and died at the Beechwood Continuing Care facility in Amherst after a brief illness.
A Buffalo native, Felser began his newspaper career at the Courier-Express in 1953 and worked there for 12 years before joining The News. He covered the Buffalo Bills from their inception in 1960 to his retirement in 2001. He continued to write a weekly sports column in The News until 2012. He held the title of sports editor for the last 20 years of his News tenure.
Felser was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1984 he received the Dick McCann Memorial Award for distinguished reporting of professional football. The award is presented by the Pro Football Writers of America. Felser had served as the youngest president in that group’s history.
Felser was a nationally prominent sportswriter since the late 1960s, in part due to a weekly column he wrote for the Sporting News.
Felser is survived by his wife of 47 years, Beverly, and two daughters, Ellen and Niecy. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
email: mgaughan@buffnews.com