High school sports in Northern Virginia and Eddie Crane were synonymous over a 30-year period from 1950 until 1980. Crane was a native of Alexandria, Virginia and a graduate of George Washington High School. He actually began covering prep athletics in 1943 while a student at George Washington High School. In 1948, he became a full-time sportswriter for the Alexandria Gazette, and served as sports editor for the paper from 1949-60. Crane joined The Washington Star sports staff in 1961, and was appointed scholastic sports editor in 1965, and held that position until the Star√ïs demise in 1981. Crane√ïs work pushed high school sports to the public forefront. He helped to find and train stringers at more than 80 area high schools, and coverage expanded to tow full pages of scholastic sports every Saturday, plus a full page each Sunday and increased weekday coverage. Many coaches and school administrators attributed growing interest and larger crowds at high school games to Crane’s efforts. He also conducted sports journalism seminars for the Virginia High School League and was a speaker at the 1978 VSHSADA conference. Among the many honors bestowed upon Crane were the Virginia Sportswriters Association Member Award in 1969, the VHSCA News Media Award in 1981, and the Alexandria Sportsmanship Club Award in 1986. Crane was a co-founder, charter member and president of the Alexandria Grandstand Managers organization that promotes youth sports and president of the Alexandria Sportsman Club. His journalism colleagues, high school coaches and administrators agree that Eddie Crane was invaluable to the growth of scholastic sports in Northern Virginia and the epitome of what we hope to find in a high school sportswriter.
