About Bill Plaschke

By Harris Blum

Bill Plaschke was born in Louisville Kentucky in 1958. Plaschke began his freshman year at Baylor University in Texas before transferring to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. After graduation Plaschke went on to work with the St. Petersburg Times in Tampa Bay, Florida.

This would be the first of many stops for Plaschke during his journey as a journalist before he would ultimately land in Los Angeles in 1988 as a beat reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

Since 1988 Plaschke has covered everything from the Olympics to college football and more. In 1996 Plaschke was given his column at the Los Angeles Times. Since 1996 Plaschke has been named sports columnist of the year five times by the Associated Press.

Plaschke is also a regular commentator on ESPN’s weekly show, Around The Horn. In addition he is a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and the Professional Football Writers Association.

In addition to his writing, Plaschke has earned many social awards in the Los Angeles area for his constant contributions to the community.

These awards include the “Pursuit of Justice Award” for his coverage of women’s sports, and his “Man of the Year Award,” presented by the Los Angeles Chapter of Big Brothers and Big Sisters for his involvement as a Big Brother.