2011 – Cam Cole

Cam Cole

Cam Cole has scored a first by becoming the first two-time recipient (2004 and 2011) of the Sports Media Canada George Gross Award for Outstanding Sportswriting. The fact he’s achieved this should come as no surprise as he has long been one of Canada’s most respected, widely read and informative sports columnists.
Cole joined The Vancouver Sun as its principal sports columnist in 2005 after more than two decades at The Edmonton Journal and seven at The National Post. His portfolio includes 13 Olympic Games, numerous Stanley Cups, Grey Cups, Super Bowls, World Series, prestigious PGA events, all the top-notch World Figure Skating Championships and, well, you name it, he’s been there, covered that. He’s even been a caddy for Jack Nicklaus, an assignment he lists among his best ever.
His travels have taken him to 23 countries – and his journeys continue for his Canwest News Service duties.
Born in Vegreville, Alberta – about 89 km (55 miles) east of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway – he went to the University of Alberta.
“Didn’t learn a thing that was useful in my life,” Cole said. “However, I got to work at the student paper in the sports department. Sports has always been a passion for me and I ended up as the sports editor after a short time because the job was open and they had nobody to fill it.
“So I worked for a year and a half at the student paper and then got a call from The Edmonton Journal at Christmas time of my second year saying we just fired our high school sports writer, do you need a job? And I said, ‘when do I start?’ How about Monday? So I was out of university and into the newspaper business and worked 23 years at The Edmonton Journal, through some very great days of the Oilers and the Eskimos and some of their dynasty years. The City of Champions, yes, not so much any more but it was at the time.”
It was while at The Edmonton Journal that Cole also covered his first Olympics – at Calgary in 1988. A decade later, opportunity brought him east to Toronto.
“When Conrad Black started up The National Post it was suggested to me by my managing editor that it would be a very dumb career move not to say yes and so I went to Toronto for seven years and that was a very, very good time indeed to be in the newspaper business,” he said. “Money was essentially no object at the time and so it was just a good career move and probably spurred me on in terms of image and everything else to be able to have the opportunity to come out to Vancouver. That, too, has been a very good move.”
The call from The Vancouver Sun in 2005 came while he was on assignment.
“I got a call during Super Bowl asking if I would consider coming out to Vancouver because the paper wanted to gear up for the Olympics in five years,” he said. “I said that’s the kind of challenge I’d really like to take on. More importantly, I think I wanted to come back out west. My family’s out here. I loved every minute of Toronto but I think I’m a western guy at heart and felt like this was the place where I belonged.”
He was absolutely amazed at how quickly the five years zipped by leading to the Vancouver Olympics which became one of his career highlights.
Many more await him as Cole motors on providing his unique perspective to his legion of readers. He’s a daily must-read for sports fans, colleagues and, yes, especially competitors.
Cam Cole … most deserving of this, a second Sports Media Canada George Gross Awards for Outstanding Sportswriting.
…. by John Iaboni

Cam Cole has scored a first by becoming the first two-time recipient (2004 and 2011) of the Sports Media Canada George Gross Award for Outstanding Sportswriting. The fact he’s achieved this should come of no surprise as he has long been one of Canada’s most respected, widely read and informative sports columnists.
Cole joined The Vancouver Sun as its principal sports columnist in 2005 after more than two decades at The Edmonton Journal and seven at The National Post. His portfolio includes 13 Olympic Games, numerous Stanley Cups, Grey Cups, Super Bowls, World Series, prestigious PGA events, all the top-notch World Figure Skating Championships and, well, you name it, he’s been there, covered that. He’s even been a caddy for Jack Nicklaus, an assignment he lists among his best ever.
His travels have taken him to 23 countries – and his journeys continue for his Canwest News Service duties. Born in Vegreville, Alberta – about 89 km (55 miles) east of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway – he went to the University of Alberta. “Didn’t learn a thing that was useful in my life,” Cole said. “However, I got to work at the student paper in the sports department. Sports has always been a passion for me and I ended up as the sports editor in a very short period of time because the job was open and they had nobody to fill it.
“So I worked for a year and a half at the student paper and then got a call from The Edmonton Journal at Christmas time of my second year saying we just fired our high school sports writer, do you need a job? And I said, ‘when do I start?’ How about Monday? So I was out of university and into the newspaper business and worked 23 years at The Edmonton Journal, through some very great days of the Oilers and the Eskimos and some of their dynasty years. The City of Champions, yes, not so much any more but it was at the time.” It was while at The Edmonton Journal that Cole also covered his first Olympics – at Calgary in 1988. A decade later, opportunity brought him east to Toronto.
“When Conrad Black started up The National Post it was suggested to me by my managing editor that it would be a very dumb career move not to say yes and so I went to Toronto for seven years and that was a very, very good time indeed to be in the newspaper business,” he said. “Money was essentially no object at the time and so it was just a good career move and probably spurred me on in terms of image and everything else to be able to have the opportunity to come out to Vancouver. That, too, has been a very good move.”
The call from The Vancouver Sun in 2005 came while he was on assignment. “I got a call during Super Bowl asking if I would consider coming out to Vancouver because the paper wanted to gear up for the Olympics in five years,” he said. “I said that’s the kind of challenge I’d really like to take on. More importantly, I think I wanted to come back out west. My family’s out here. I loved every minute of Toronto but I think I’m a western guy at heart and felt like this was the place where I belonged.”
He was absolutely amazed at how quickly the five years zipped by leading to the Vancouver Olympics which became one of his career highlights.
Many more await him as Cole motors on      providing his unique perspective to his legion of readers. He’s a daily must-read for sports fans,   colleagues and, yes, especially competitors.Cam Cole … most deserving of another Sports Media Canada George Gross Awards for Outstanding Sportswriting.
…. by John Iaboni