‘A life well-lived’: Legendary sports journalist Dan Coughlin remembered

FAIRVIEW PARK , Ohio (WJW) — A local sports writer who was “woven into the fabric” of Northeast Ohio is being laid to rest on Monday.

FOX 8’s own Dan Coughlin died Oct. 6 at his home in Rocky River , according to his obituary. He was 86.

Coughlin’s Funeral Mass was Monday morning at St. Angela Merici Church, 20970 Lorain Road, Fairview Park.

Every pew in the church was filled with mourners who turned out to pay tribute.

“He brought joy to so many people,” the pastor opened.

“The greatest fear of my life is being a guy who had to preach a few words about a guy who was a wordsmith,” he said of Coughlin.

“Today we celebrate this great wonderful person who gave us so much joy in life,” his pastor said.

“Thank you, Danny, for a life well-lived.”

Mary Coughlin Jeffrey is the youngest of Dan’s four children.

She had the crowd laughing with anecdotes about her dad.

“My dad was an unforgettable man, and there will never be a person like him,” Coughlin Jeffrey said.

Through laughter and tears, she shared stories about her dad’s life and legacy.

“Dad, I’m signing off,” she said as she closed.

Visitation was from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Lakewood’s St. Edward High School, along Detroit Avenue, in the Holy Family Chapel.

Coughlin was a U.S. Army veteran and began his journalism career in Cleveland in 1964 — covering high school sports for print, according to his obituary.

He was inducted into the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Cleveland Press Club Journalism Hall of Fame in 1996 and twice named Ohio sportswriter of the year.

Coughlin transitioned into broadcasting and ended up at FOX 8, where he became known as the “commissioner” on FOX 8’s Friday Night Touchdown segment.

He also penned numerous books, collections of stories for local publisher Gray & Co.

“He was just ingrained in Cleveland. He was woven into the fabric,” founder David Gray is quoted in Coughlin’s obituary.

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