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NFL History of the San Francisco 49ers
2006 · Documentary
Glenn Ernest Dickey Jr. dominated Bay Area sports journalism for over four decades with his fearless, unvarnished commentary that made him the region's most controversial and widely-read columnist. Born February 16, 1936 in Virginia, Minnesota, Dickey migrated to California with his parents—father Glenn Sr., a U.S. Forest Service employee, and mother Madlyn Emmert, a schoolteacher—when he was ten years old.
After graduating from Sonora High School in 1954 where he wrote sports for the school paper, Dickey attended UC Santa Barbara before transferring to UC Berkeley, earning his bachelor's degree in 1958. As Sports Editor of The Daily Californian, he honed the direct writing style that would become his trademark. His journalism career began at the Pulitzer Prize-winning Watsonville Register-Pajaronian as Sports Editor (1958-1963), where he was famously hung in effigy for criticizing the local team—an early preview of his uncompromising approach.
Dickey joined the San Francisco Chronicle in 1963 as sportswriter before becoming columnist in 1971, retiring nearly twenty years ago after transforming Bay Area sports discourse. He pioneered coverage of women's sports locally and won "Best Sports Stories" awards in 1963, 1968, 1971, and 1977. A member of the Newspaper Guild, Baseball Writers Association of America, and SAG-AFTRA, Dickey authored more than fifteen books including definitive works on Bill Walsh, Al Davis's Raiders, and the Oakland A's dynasties.
Dickey's writing philosophy centered on provoking thought rather than agreement. He famously criticized beloved icons Willie Mays and Joe Montana, advocated hiring Walsh as 49ers coach and Frank Robinson as Giants manager, and never shied from controversial opinions. His remarkable memory allowed him to quote sources accurately without notebooks or tape recorders—no one ever complained of misquoting. Colleague Ray Ratto observed Dickey "had the biggest trombone and wasn't afraid to use it," while TR Sullivan noted he was "about as subtle as a punch to the jaw."
Despite generating controversy, Dickey personally responded to every letter and email throughout his career, valuing reader engagement regardless of tone. A voracious reader who donated extensively to Oakland Public Library, he also pursued passions for fine dining, wine collecting, piano playing, and European travel with wife Nancy McDaniel, whom he married February 25, 1967.
Diagnosed with diabetes in 1985, Dickey worked through complications until his death December 12, 2025 in Oakland. He is survived by wife Nancy, son Scott (and wife Sarah Owsowitz), and brother Bob.