Legendary NY Giants, NFL reporter Dave Klein, passes away at 85

Dave Klein, who covered the New York Giants writing for The Star-Ledger and covered each of the first 54 Super Bowls, passed away on Wednesday.

Steve Politi of NJ.com remembered Klein’s many achievements since joining The Star-Ledger’s staff in 1961.

“Klein’s weekly NFL picks column, which greeted Star-Ledger readers for years each Sunday morning during the season, was a mix of analysis and self-deprecating humor,” Politi wrote. “He was part of the newspaper’s golden age of sports coverage, writing about everything from the Olympics, to the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, to Rutgers’ memorable men’s basketball run to the 1976 Final Four.”

Klein covered every Super Bowl from the first one in 1967, which featured the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10, through Super Bowl LIV in 2020, where the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. In that time, he covered all four Super Bowls won by the Giants.

Piloti shared statements from both the Giants and Bill Parcells, the head coach who led the team to its first two Super Bowl championships.

“We are saddened to hear of Dave’s passing,” the Giants said. “He devoted much of his professional life to covering our organization and keeping our fans informed. Our thoughts are with Dave’s family, friends and readers.”

“I always felt like we had a good relationship,” said Parcells. “I enjoyed being around him. He had a lot of good history in New Jersey, which is where I’m from. I was always interested to hear what he had to say about things. … Those guys that have been on that beat a long time, they have a lot of knowledge and background about the team. And he had that. I enjoyed working with him. I really did.”

Klein was remembered fondly upon news of his death.

Klein was 85.