By Robert MacRae, Ed McGranahan.
TheClemsonInsider.com is pleased to announce a new addition. Ed McGranahan will be joining the site as a correspondent to elevate our football coverage to a new level.
“I couldn’t be happier to announce the addition of Ed to the site. Ed is one of the best in the business. He has shared his insights with Clemson readers for decades. We look forward to him sharing his thoughts and insights with the TCI family for years to come,” said Robert MacRae.
Ed took time to put introduce himself to the TCI family:
During 40 years in the news business – six newspapers in five states – I have learned a few things, but the one that remains true is that fans are the same everywhere. Every sport, every level — high school to pro — the passion is undeniable.
I grew up in a town in Eastern Ohio — 45 miles west of Pittsburgh, 130 miles east of Columbus — where the people were toughened by the steel mills and coal mines yet wore their allegiances on their sleeves. High school football was king. Ohio State was big. But in Steubenville, with its rich population of first- and second-generation immigrants, Notre Dame was larger than life. The Irish of Parseghian, not Woody’s Buckeyes, hooked me as a kid.
I didn’t attend a college game until I entered Ohio University in 1967. I was fortunate to see one of the best teams in school history the next year.
I didn’t cover a college game until Dan Foster hired me in 1973 at The Greenville News — Wofford-Davidson at North Mecklenburg High School. The next week I had Clemson-Georgia in Athens, and it’s been a wild ride ever since.
Red Parker was the coach and Bennie Cunningham was the biggest human I’d ever met. Paul Dietzel was the coach and AD at South Carolina, and I was rapt as Jeff Grantz shredded the Ohio defense.
Though I left the Upstate in 1976 for nine years, working as sports news editor in Charlotte and assistant sports editor, then NFL beat writer and columnist at The Oakland Tribune in California, I always kept an eye on Clemson and South Carolina.
I watched Clemson win the national championship with friends from Greenwood in a California motel room with the Monterey Bay slapping against the foundation on a stormy night.
When I rejoined The News’ staff as sports news editor during the summer of 1985, I was stunned by the changes in Greenville and Clemson. It’s been amazing to watch both continue to grow and blossom.
Other than two years as managing editor of The Augusta Chronicle (1989-91), the Upstate has been my base. Sandy and I have two children, twins born in California who call South Carolina home. My son graduated from Winthrop and followed me into the business. My daughter graduated from South Carolina and is a social worker in Chicago.
About 12 years ago, the folks at The News encouraged me to slide out of the editor’s chair and back on the street as a reporter. I’d had a modest relationship with coaches Ford, Hatfield and West as an editor, but became more deeply immersed in Clemson athletics with the hiring of Tommy Bowden.
Over the years, I’ve covered dozens of games, met hundreds of athletes, written thousands of stories on Clemson — and South Carolina — sports, and cultivated innumerable relationships with members of the Clemson athletic staff, from Terry Don Phillips to the lowliest grad assistant.
When I accepted an offer in April to retire from The News, I knew my experiences at Clemson and the people with whom I’ve bonded would continue to be a rich resource.
I look forward to sharing with you, and to hearing from you periodically as I begin this chapter of my career. I love sports, but I am not a fan. I know sports and people. I’ll leave the other to you.