By Zoe Collins Rath
The Associated Press Sports Editors summer conference awards dinner had a strong theme of legacy.
Incoming president Perryn Keys couldn’t deliver his acceptance speech without mentioning the lasting impact of Associated Press national sports writer Howard Fendrich, who died in May. He was 55.
“There is a quote on Jackie Robinson’s headstone that I think about that says ‘a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,’” Keys said. “I know the impact of Howard will live on.”
In part, it will live on through the Howard Fendrich scholarship, which will be awarded for the first time next year. Earlier in the program, executive director Lisa Wilson detailed how the Fendrich family chose the APSE Foundation, a 501c3 that supports sports journalism education and leadership, as an organization to donate toward in Howard’s memory.
The donations will fund the new scholarship, and more.
“Howard always loved sports and he loved teaching young professionals about the field,” his wife, Rosanna, said after the closing dinner. “He has been a recipient of APSE many times in his career, he had that good fortune, so it felt like the natural thing to do.”
Fendrich was diagnosed with cancer after returning from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. A journalist for 33 years, Fendrich started covering tennis for the AP in 2002 and chronicled more than 70 Grand Slams.
“We don’t get that type of longevity in the industry anymore,” AP Deputy Global Sports Editor Oscar Dixon shared earlier at the dinner.
Dixon said Fendrich’s death stunned and shocked his peers. Sports legends like Roger Federer called him a “reassuring presence in the tennis world.”
“He was one of the great sport storytellers and he will be missed,” Billie Jean King said in a social media post.
One of Rosanna’s favorite stories was one Fendrich wrote after Andre Agassi’s last professional match. Fendrich painted the picture of the then-36-year-old tennis legend sitting in the locker room struggling with a mundane task: taking off a shirt.
“It was quintessential Howard,” Rosanna said. “He chased the story, followed the action and he followed his instincts.”
Fendrich’s legacy will shine through the recipients of the scholarship. But when examining his impact on the next generation of sports journalists, look no further than his two sons.
Stefano graduated from USC in 2025 and is working for ESPN. Jordan is a rising sophomore at Syracuse working at the Daily Orange, the student newspaper. Jordan joined his mother in Washington and said how cool it was to hear about his father from other journalists.
“I feel like he didn’t talk about himself that much or his achievements,” Jordan said. “It’s cool to see this, the other part of his life and the impact he had on all these people.”
Jordan joked that there are more differences than similarities between him and his dad. However, the building blocks of good storytelling guide Jordan as he pursues a career in journalism.
“I think that’s what he loved about the job, finding what other people don’t look at. That’s what I learned from him,” he said.