by Last week the Northeast Ohio sports scene lost a truly great man. Longtime stats guru Gary Salzinger tragically passed away. He was not just a stat man, he was The Stat Man! Salzinger worked NFL Games, High School games and was a staple of the Crunch Championship runs in the 90’s.
He was a good man who put others first and always did his best to give full info. The last time I worked with Gary during the Avon vs Hoban playoff football game he created plenty of laughs and smiles that night with a personality and passion only he had.
You had to love when someone asked how long the touchdown pass was, and Gary was there to provide you not only that stat, but also how many plays on the drive, the total yards and where the Mother of the quarterback took her tennis lessons in 3rd grade. Well maybe not that last part, but I wouldn’t put it past Gary to know that.
He’s one of those rare people you meet in life that was genuine and made everyone around him better. He had a big heart and always made sure to make sure everyone in the press box had everything they needed for their call or story.
If you had to leave the box early to get down to the field for quotes, not a problem as Gary would email you the full statistics after the game. He was a good friend and a great man. Gary will be missed by many!
I can just picture Gary in Heaven right now, flying around with the Angels of the past, watching and taking stats on every big game in history. God Speed Gary and thank you for everything!
Everything you said is spot on. I knew Gary as well from covering the game on Cable Nine in Macedonia. So tragic. God took a good one to Heaven. Must have needed an analytical mind up there. Bless you Gary and thanks from me as well. Rest well, my friend. 😥
Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories about Gary! He was my brother, and he LOVED gathering data about the statistics for the sporting events. I am sure he was very thorough! If you were to ask him what the time was, he could probably tell you not only the time but also how to build the watch. He was so incredibly kind, helpful, dependable, caring, and just an all-around amazing person. Seeing this wonderful post makes me feel happy to know that others also recognize and acknowledge what a truly fantastic person he was. I loved growing up with Gary and will miss him very much. Thank you!
—- Lisa Martel (Gary Salzinger’s sister)