The Detroit Lions made sure Pat Caputo still had a place in the press box Sunday.
Ahead of Detroit’s Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Lions radio voice Dan Miller posted a photo on X showing a memorial display honoring the longtime Detroit sports media personality, who died earlier this year following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The display included three framed photos of Caputo, floral arrangements and one of his old Lions press credentials. In the middle of the table was a simple message:
“In loving memory of longtime media member and friend. Pat Caputo 1959-2026.”
That feels about right.
Caputo spent more than four decades around Detroit sports, writing, talking, arguing and occasionally grumbling his way into becoming one of the city’s most recognizable media voices. He was known as “The Book” for a reason. 97.1 The Ticket remembered Caputo after his death as someone whose knowledge of Detroit sports was matched by the passion he had for the teams he covered.
Caputo Was Part of Detroit Sports for Generations
Caputo died May 7 at age 67 after battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
His career stretched across radio, television and print. He worked for the Oakland Press for decades, became a longtime presence on 97.1 The Ticket and regularly appeared alongside Miller on FOX 2’s Sunday sports programming.
When Caputo died, Miller described him as part of the FOX 2 family for roughly 25 years. The connection between Caputo and Detroit’s sports community extended far beyond one newsroom, however. He covered Lions games, Tigers seasons, Stanley Cup runs, Michigan and Michigan State, and just about everything else this city threw at him.
We wrote after his passing about the statement released by Caputo’s family, which reflected on a career that included World Series, Super Bowls, Stanley Cup Finals and NBA championships.
It was a remarkable run.
The Lions Remember One of Their Own
There is something fitting about this tribute being in the press box.
Caputo spent much of his professional life in places just like it. Watching. Taking notes. Asking questions. Forming opinions. Then telling Detroit fans exactly what he thought, whether they agreed with him or not.
When news of his death broke in May, Detroit Sports Nation also looked back at Caputo’s impact across the city’s sports landscape. His colleagues repeatedly came back to the same things: knowledge, authenticity and an unmistakable personality.
The Lions’ gesture Sunday was not elaborate.
It did not need to be.
A few photos. His credential. Some flowers. His name sitting right there in the press box where it belonged.
For everyone who spent years hearing Pat Caputo talk Detroit sports, that picture says plenty.
Recent Comments