Dan Cook

After beginning his sports writing career at the Houston Post, Cook worked at the San Antonio Express-News from August 14, 1952, until he retired on August 3, 2003. In early 1956, he first made national headlines when, acting on a tip, he confronted a suspect in a Houston robbery and in the process wound up himself arrested and charged with armed robbery. (He would later be exonerated when the suspect confessed to the original crime.) Cook wrote his first sports column for the San Antonio Express-News on November 29, 1956. During his newspaper career, he became in charge of editing the sports column in 1960 and held this role until 1975. Outside of the Express-News, Cook continued his sports career on the radio and television.

The phrase

In 1976, Ralph Carpenter of Texas Tech University coined "the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings". The phrase became common use after Cook and Dick Motta used it during the 1978 NBA playoffs.

Honors and awards

On March 1, 1996, Cook was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame for his work as a columnist and a broadcaster.

Cook was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He graduated St. Thomas High School in Houston and attended the University of Houston for two years. He was married and had three children.

Cook died on the night of July 3, 2008, after a long illness.

• Cook, Dan (November 2001). The Best of Dan Cook, 1956-1990. Corona Publishing. pp. 245pp. ISBN 978-0-931722-15-8.