Pantages to Medina Gazette as managing editor

Larry Pantages, who began at the BJ in 1972, is leaving to become managing editor at the Medina Gazette.

He’ll leave the BJ Feb. 20 and begin his new job Feb. 23.

 

Larry Pantages

Larry recalled:

“I first started at the BJ in December 1972 answering phones in the sports

department."

Marty Pantages, Larry’s younger brother who was a sports part-timer in the late '70s and early '80s, is a sports layout editor at the Boston Globe.

After I requested more information, Larry replied:

“I started as a sports copy editor in 1977 after graduating from Syracuse with a journalism degree. I graduated from Ellet High in Akron four years earlier and worked at the BJ during the summers.

“In 1976, when the Miracle of Richfield Cavs went on their playoff run, I was assigned to help Sheldon Ocker with some playoff game sidebars.

“In 1978, Sports decided that Carolyn White and Milan Zban needed a 3rd beat person on preps, and that was me. Medina County and the Suburban League were my

primary assignments.

“Then in 1981, Sheldon moved to the Indians beat and Stuart Warner assigned me to

the Cavaliers.

“I reported on the Ted Stepien years of ownership until Gordon Gund took over.

The Cavs made the playoffs in 1985, my last year. It was exciting to cover a 4-game playoff series against the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics because in all three of the losses, the Cavs had a shot in the air at the buzzer that would

have won or tied the game.

“I left that beat in 1985 and joined Jim Toms' staff as a business news reporter. The tire industry was going through a lot of turmoil then, including the attempted takeover of Goodyear, for which the BJ news staff won a Pulitzer in 1987.

“In 1989, I became Debbie Van Tassel's deputy editor in business news.

“In 1991, I went to Sports as deputy editor to Ken Krause.

“Then I stayed in sports as deputy to Bill Eichenberger from 1993 to 1997.

“Then I was Sports Editor from 1998 to 2006. We did many enterprise projects, including profiles of the 15 greatest athletes of the century in Akron / Summit County, a 50-part series celebrating 50 years of pro golf in Akron (49 years at Firestone Country Club) and a 99-day series on the return of the Browns as an

NFL expansion franchise.

“Along with all that, LeBron James came along at St. Vincent-St. Mary High and then went straight to the Cavaliers in 2003. Also, those were the years when Tiger Woods started a dominating run at Firestone's golf tournament.

“In 2006, I came to Business News as editor. And in 2014, Business was combined with Metro under Rich Desrosiers.”

Larry leaves behind a lot of memories and a remarkable BJ dossier.