March 27, 2007 Tuesday 3:11 PM GMT
WPIX sports broadcaster dead at 74
SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL
DATELINE: VALHALLA N.Y.
Jerry Girard, a WPIX-TV sportscaster for 21 years, has died of cancer. He was 74.
Girard, whose nightly reports were characterized by a dry, caustic sense of humor, died on Sunday at Westchester Medical Center, the station said on its newscast Monday.
He was WPIX’s sports broadcaster from 1974 to 1995, after working as a news writer for the station for seven years.
Girard was “a caring friend and a seasoned professional who looked out for younger colleagues,” the station said.
Born in Gerard Alfred Suglia in Chicago, Girard grew up in the Bronx and attended Manhattan College.
A celebration of his life was scheduled for Saturday at Fred H. McGrath & Son Funeral Home in Bronxville.
He is survived by two sisters.
LOAD-DATE: March 28, 2007
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The Journal News (Westchester County, New York)
March 27, 2007 Tuesday
GWPR Edition
Jerry Girard of Bronxville, former WPIX sportscaster, dies
BYLINE: Nicole Neroulias
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 2B
BRONXVILLE – Jerry Girard, a New York City sports broadcaster known for his deadpan wit, died Sunday of cancer at Westchester Medical Center. The Bronxville resident was 74.
Girard worked as a weeknight sports anchor on WPIX-TV Channel 11 from 1974 to 1995, when he resigned rather than switch to weekend duty. He was replaced by Sal Marchiano.
“He was very popular with the viewers, very popular in the newsroom,” Karen Scott, news director for WPIX-TV Channel 11, said yesterday. “He was a hard worker, and he definitely knew his sports.”
The Bronx native, born Gerard A. Suglia, went on the air for the first time at the age of 41, after seven years as a news writer for the station. The Manhattan College alumnus’ early radio career included stints in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
In addition to rooting for his beloved Yankees, Girard was a boxing, basketball and horseracing fan. He liked to read and play pool.
Girard lived in Bronxville for many years. During his retirement, he continued actively following professional sports and listening to the music of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, his family said.
He did not have children.
A celebration of his life will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Fred H. McGrath & Son Funeral Home, 20 Cedar St., Bronxville.
Friends may make memorial contributions in Girard’s name to: Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester, 95 S. Broadway, Fourth Floor, White Plains, NY 10601.
LOAD-DATE: March 28, 2007
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The New York Times
March 27, 2007 Tuesday
Late Edition – Final
Jerry Girard, 74, WPIX Sports Broadcaster
SECTION: Section B; Column 5; Sports Desk; Pg. 7
Jerry Girard, a sports broadcaster for WPIX-TV in New York from 1974 to 1995, died Sunday in Hawthorne, N.Y. He was 74.
He died of esophageal cancer at Westchester Medical Center, his family said.
Girard, originally Gerard Alfred Suglia, was born Aug. 6, 1932, in Chicago. He was reared in the Bronx and attended Manhattan College.
He was a disc jockey in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Gary, Ind.; and Altoona, Pa., before returning to New York as a record librarian at WNEW radio. He moved to WPIX as a news writer before becoming the station’s sports voice.
His nightly television appearances to describe the day’s sports happenings were characterized by frequent acidic commentary, invariably delivered with a straight face.
He is survived by two sisters.
LOAD-DATE: March 27, 2007
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