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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Former Savannah State Radio Commentator Dies
Clarence Wilson,
the former radio commenta
tor for Savannah State Uni
versity football broadcasts,
has died. He was 67.
Wilson died on
January 25, under Hospice
Care in Savannah.
“Clarence was an
amazing man who would
literally give someone the
shirt off his back if they
needed it,” said Savan
nah State athletics direc
tor Opio Mashariki. “I’ve
known Clarence for over 14
years. He started as a col
league, but we became very
good friends and he will be
missed,” added Mashariki.
Although he was
raised in Gary, Indiana, Wil
son was bom in Savannah.
His mother died in a house
fire when he was young. He
and his sisters were taken in
by his aunt and when she re
married she moved the fam
ily to Gary.
Wilson attended
Horace Mann High School
and was a member of the
Horsemen basketball team.
Shortly after finishing high
school in 1969, Wilson en
listed in the military where
he served four years in the
Clarence Wilson
United States Air Force.
The Vietnam vet
eran then attended Ball State
University where he earned
a degree in communications.
While at Ball State he also
became a member of Omega
Psi Phi Fraternity.
After college, Wil
son moved to Los Angeles,
California and worked for
both NBC and ABC in their
sports departments. While
in Los Angeles, he got the
chance to cover the 1984
Olympics.
A big fan of bas
ketball, he would also be
seen at Laker basketball
games on press row.
Wilson would
leave California and return
to his native Savannah in the
1990’s and would work as
the sports information direc
tor at The Savannah College
of Art & Design. He later
would write sports at The
Georgia Guardian Newspa
per.
It was at the Geor
gia Guardian where current
SSU color analyst Cur
tis Foster met Wilson. “I
met Clarence back in 1995
when he was working for
the newspaper because he
wrote an article on me and
my brother. I have a brother
that I take care of because he
has Down’s Syndrome. The
title of the story was “I Am
My Brother’s Keeper.”
Foster, who has
worked with Wilson since
2013, states that he will
miss his friend whom he de
scribed as being warn with
a genuine heart. “Clarence
was an awesome guy who
is a guy of great character.
I will truly miss him being
beside me on the broadcast
telling his famous jokes.
He is what you call a true
friend.”
Wilson was hired
at Savannah State by former
sports information director
Lee Pearson as a color an
alyst for the Tigers football
radio broadcast to assist
play-by-play man Don Wil
son (no relation) 19 years
ago.
Wilson would ex
pand his roles within SSU’s
sports communications de
partment and served as the
men’s and women’s bas
ketball radio play-by-play
announcer as well as public
address announcer of Ti
ger volleyball, baseball and
softball games. Even with
his health failing, Wilson
continued to do games.
In recent years, he
wrote a high school sports
column for The Spirit, a
weekly newspaper based in
Pooler and also served as a
mentor to young students as
piring to get into the sports
writing or sports broad
casting business. He also
held jobs as boys basket
ball coach at St. Andrews, a
journalist with the Savannah
Morning News and as a ed
ucator in the Savannah-Cha-
tham County public school
system
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Wilson rededicated his spir
itual side and was studying
to be a Jehovah’s Witness.
During his life
time, he met many people
from all walks of life. At his
request, he did not want fu
neral and wanted to be cre
mated.
He leaves to mom
his sister, Barbara Moore
(Gaines), his aunt, Barbara
Jean Johnson and a nephew,
Anthony E. Moore all of
Gary, Indiana and a host of
cousins.
Woods & Biles Win At
2019 Laureus World
Sports Awards
By Tirany Reeves
Simone Biles
On Monday, Feb
ruary 18, the 2019 Laureus
World Sports Awards hon
ored the sportspeople of the
year. Each year, the awards
honor the greatest achieve
ments and individuals from
across the sports world and
celebrate the power of sports
to change the world. The
contenders are nominated
by the world’s media, with
the winners selected by leg
ends of global sport: mem
bers of the Laureus World
Sports Academy.
Simone Biles,
United States gymnast, was
named Sportswoman of
the Year. The 21-year old
has been called the greatest
gymnast of all time through
out media headlines all of
2018. After recovering from
an injury, Biles went on to
win four gold medals, one
silver and one bronze at the
2018 World Championships
in Doha, Qatar. She also
Tiger Woods
became the first gymnast to
claim a fourth gold in the
all-around event.
Tiger Woods, a
14-time major winner, is
no stranger to the Lau
reus World Sports Awards.
Woods was named Sports
man of the Year in 2000 and
2001. At the end of 2017,
Tiger Woods’ world rank
ing was No. 1,199, but he
fought his way back into the
top 20 and is now in the No.
13 spot. In 2018, he finished
in the top 10 of the majors
twice before going on to win
his first tournament in five
years at the Tour Champi
onship. These triumphs over
the years helped him claim
the Comeback of the Year
award.
For the full list of
winners, view the award’s
official website at awards.
laureus.com/static/winners.
asp.
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