Longtime Dallas Sportswriter Harless Wade Dead at 80

[MrMustang1965]

DALLAS — Harless Wade, longtime sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News, died Saturday. He was 80.

Wade died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, the newspaper announced. Wade, who had been in failing health in recent years, covered golf and other sports for the paper from 1956 until 1994.

"Harless knew many of Texas' college and pro star athletes and coaches," said Bob Yates, the paper's deputy manager editor for sports. "You can't replace that kind of knowledge. Harless was a big part of The Dallas Morning News sports section for many years. He was as Texan as they come."

When Wade retired, local golfers organized "An Evening With Harless Wade — The Roasting of a Sports Writer." The honorary planning committee for the event included Byron and Peggy Nelson, Ben Crenshaw, Darrell Royal and Mickey Mantle.

Wade, son of a Methodist minister, was born in Wichita Falls and grew up in Commerce,

He began his journalism career at what is now Texas A&M-Commerce, where he became editor of the school newspaper before graduating in 1950 with a degree in speech and journalism. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 for "meritorious service."

He coached high school football and basketball at Linden High School in East Texas, did postgraduate work at Princeton University and attended law school at Southern Methodist, his daughter Kari Wade said.

"When I chose journalism, my original intention was to be a Washington correspondent," Wade said when he retired. "But I loved sports so much. I fell into a trap and never really wanted to get out."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6347949.html