Longtime Bay Area sports columnist Mark Purdy

Moving to San Jose from the Midwest in 1984, Mark Purdy planted roots in the Bay Area and seeds in the minds of up-and-coming journalists. Following a 33-year career with the San Jose Mercury News that ended in 2017, Purdy will be inductedd into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in the 2021 class that includes Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders, Super Bowl winning coach George Seiffert and Super Bowl champion wide receiver James jones. Purdy and Dave discuss the inspirations for some of his most memorable stories, including being kicked out of his seat by Fidel Castro at the Pan Am Games, lunch with Muhammad Ali and how the San Jose Sharks almost became the San Jose Americans. Humbled by the honor, shares his writing role models, dealing with critics and living with the consequences of asking the tough question.

The Dave Lewis Show
The Dave Lewis Show
Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy humbled by San Jose Sports Hall of Fame honor
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October 25, 2021

Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy humbled by San Jose Sports Hall of Fame honor

"Honestly, if you have your brain in a place where 'I'm not sure I should ask this question', that means you should ask the question. Because what's the worst that can happen? They're going to get mad at you.....Candy Maldonado came at me once in the Giants' locker room and Roger Craig, the manager, kind of stepped in and saved my life."
May 31, 2021

Jerry Smith’s Broncos Overcome Adversity to win Women’s Soccer National Title

"We chose as a group to find silver linings and find the positive in whatever thing came our way....This year, there were so many things out of our control. We chose that and not everyone chooses that and that's credit to our players. For young people, it's often hard to find a silver lining when you have a setback. It's hard to find the positive when you feel like there are things going against you. Boy, living in Santa Clara County with COVID, it felt like there's an awful lot of things going against us here."