Dave Newhouse

Biography

Dave Newhouse chronicled Bay Area sports history through five decades of award-winning journalism, establishing himself as one of Oakland's most beloved sportswriters while authoring 19 books that preserved forgotten athletic lore. Born in 1938 in Menlo Park, California at the tail end of the Depression, Newhouse grew up as the son of an abusive alcoholic father, developing an early fantasy of becoming a sportscaster despite uncertain prospects. After graduating from Menlo-Atherton High School and attending Santa Rosa Junior College, Newhouse joined the Air Force in 1957 for a four-year stint. While stationed in Laon, France, he covered his first baseball game for the weekly base newspaper, discovering his passion for sports journalism. This experience inspired him to major in journalism at San Jose State University, where he honed the writing skills that would define his career. Newhouse joined the Oakland Tribune in 1964, the same year he married Patsy Lewis from Ely, Nevada. His 47-year tenure at the Tribune established him as the region's preeminent sports voice, covering the Raiders, Warriors, Athletics, and 49ers with distinctive insight and dedication. He also contributed to Sports Illustrated and Sporting News while hosting a KNBR radio sports talk show, becoming the only Bay Area sports journalist to simultaneously write a daily newspaper column and host weeknight sports talk radio in the 1980s. He appeared in ESPN documentaries and observed Bay Area sports since the 1940s. Retiring in November 2011, Newhouse's final column declared: "This old-school newspaperman, misplaced in a world of texters, tweeters, and bloggers, is exiting before the gigabytes start to bite." However, retirement launched a prolific second career as author. His notable works include "The Jim Plunkett Story," "Founding 49ers: The Dark Days Before the Dynasty" (2015), "The Incredible Slip Madigan," and "Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust, and a Sports Town's Fight for Survival" (2025, co-authored with Andy Dolich). Personal tragedy struck when son Chad took his life in 2012, devastating Newhouse and wife Patsy. Writing became therapy as he continued working despite grief. His research methodology included chance elevator encounters: meeting 49ers executive Lou Spadia inspired "Founding 49ers," while meeting David McCullough in Paris reinforced his commitment to write into his 90s. Newhouse lives in Oakland with Patsy, an artist. Their surviving son Casey has blessed them with two grandchildren.