JANESVILLE — Dave Wedeward, known for an unparalleled passion toward the communities he covered and encyclopedic knowledge of Wisconsin professional and high school sports, has died at age 81.
Wedeward, who worked for the Janesville Gazette for 46 years and led sports coverage for 39 years, retired in November of 2011.
“I can’t imagine doing anything else or doing it any other place,” Wedeward said in 1996 at the time of his induction into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. “I’ve loved every minute of it, and I wouldn’t be happy anywhere else.”
Always committed to his hometown of Edgerton and to the teams he covered, particularly at Craig and Parker high schools, Wedeward’s name graces the Monterey Stadium press box along with the late WCLO radio broadcaster Al Fagerli.
His column, High Notes, was a must-read for local sports fans. He also founded the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame.
Wedeward spent his career quietly nurturing young journalists and building his department into one of the top sports teams in the state.
“I’ve told my wife that, when I die, if people don’t remember anything else about me, I hope they remember that I always cared about people,” Wedeward said in his WFCA Hall of Fame profile.
Funeral details are not yet available. This story will be updated.