Craig Heist, a former 海角精品黑料 Sports broadcaster and a D.C.-area sports journalist who became a mainstay inside the press boxes of the region鈥檚 professional sports teams, has died. He was 66.
Heist reported on sports in the D.C. region for over 30 years, covering almost all of the area鈥檚 major sports teams. He had just covered the Washington Capitals鈥� NHL season opener on Wednesday and was set to attend the Washington Commanders game on Monday night.
The cause of his death is unknown.
Known affectionately as 鈥淗eisty鈥� by friends and colleagues, Heist became a press box staple, covering in-person for multiple outlets, including 15 years for 海角精品黑料. He also was an anchor and reporter for and the postgame host on the Nationals Radio Network since 2013.
鈥淗e believed in getting the job done regardless of what it took,鈥� 海角精品黑料 Sports Director George Wallace said, adding that he was 鈥渁 grinder.鈥�
Multiple area sports teams including , and posted tribute messages on social media.
海角精品黑料 Sports anchor Dave Preston was alongside Heist for the Capitals game on Wednesday. He said his former co-worker was in 鈥済ood spirits鈥� and ready for another season.
鈥�(He was) more than a co-worker,鈥� Preston said. 鈥淗e was a really good friend, especially to all of us who lived in those press boxes, from Wizards to Caps to Nationals to college football and basketball season.鈥�
Heist began his career covering sports at WKHI in Ocean City, Maryland, and he graduated from Salisbury University in 1987.
海角精品黑料 Sports Director Emeritus Dave Johnson remembers meeting Heist in the 1980s covering Baltimore Orioles games at Memorial Stadium. In the ’90s, Johnson said he recommended Jim Farley, 海角精品黑料鈥檚 program director at the time, to hire Heist because he fit 鈥渢he DNA of 海角精品黑料.鈥�
鈥淗e truly was someone who absolutely loved his work, and it came through, not only in the quality of his work, but also how he approached it,鈥� Johnson said.
Former 海角精品黑料 Sports anchor Jonathan Warner sat in with Heist at multiple games, saying he admired Heist鈥檚 ability to find the story. With Heist鈥檚 death, he said, the region is losing over 30 years of D.C. sports knowledge.
鈥淗e was one of the first people in the press box, and he’d go right down to the locker room or the clubhouse, and he would get to know the players,鈥� Warner said. 鈥淭hey get to know him. He would go to spring training, he would go to training camp, he got to know these players and the managers and the coaches on a personal level.鈥�
Wallace, who had known Heist for 25 years, said his former co-worker took him and any new interns under his wing to learn how to cover games for radio.
鈥淗e was at a ballpark 162 nights a year, 81 for the Nats, 81 for the Orioles,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淲hen he was working with us, he would do a lot of things on his own, just because he knew that the story needed to be covered, or he knew that the game needed to be covered.鈥�
In the newsroom, Warner said if Heist loved you, 鈥測ou had a friend for life.鈥� In baseball press boxes, he sat in a center seat and would try to engage in with other reporters.
鈥淗e had an electric pencil sharpener, and I think some of the writers would just come over and use that as an excuse just to talk to Heisty,鈥� Warner said.
Yet, Johnson said Heist was not an attention seeker. Instead, he was someone who would help anyone out if asked.
鈥淭here was only one Craig, and there was only one Craig that was at every baseball game, every Nationals or Orioles, every Capitals, Wizards, go right down the list, he was there,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e was the one you could say, 鈥榓ll right, he was at all of these sports,鈥� and that made him truly one of a kind.鈥�
Heist is survived by his wife, Suzanne.
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