Sportscaster Sam Skinner was heard on KFOG and “Lucky 13” KDIA for many years. He was heard as a color commentator on Oakland Raiders radio broadcasts in the early to mid ‘60s. The affable Skinner was known in press boxes as “Big Sam”. Along with his Bay Area radio work, Skinner provided freelance coverage for numerous national networks.
He hosted “Black Renaissance” with his wife, Regina, celebrating African American accomplishments on radio and TV. He was friend and confidant to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali, Joe Montana, John Madden, Eddie DeBartolo and Al Davis. When he suffered a stroke in 1995, Ronnie Lott, Martina Navratilova, Dave Stewart and others raised funds to pay his hospital bills. His motto, with which he ended his sports reports: “If you can’t be a good sport, don’t bother to play the game!”
His obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle noted Skinner’s ability to form relationships with sports figures that other reporters couldn’t, allowing him to get the quotes others wished they had.
Skinner died in 1996 at age 56.