Pat Caputo, a fixture of Detroit sports media for more than four decades as a newspaper columnist and radio talk show host at WXYT-FM 97.1 The Ticket, died on May 7 at his home in Lake Orion, MI, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67.
His career in Detroit sports journalism began in May 1983 when he joined The Oakland Press. He covered the Detroit Tigers from 1986 to 1998 and the Detroit Lions from 1998 to 2002, before transitioning to the paper’s sports columnist role until budget cuts ended his tenure there in 2020.
He started his radio career in 1996 as a host at WDFN 1130, then moved to competitor WXYT in 2001 as host of The Book on Sports, airing on weeknights and weekends. He went on to host The Pat Caputo Show, the Detroit Tigers’ annual radio program TigerTalk, Inside Hockeytown, and Pistons Tonight.
In 2022, he launched the podcast Bustin’ Balls with Pat Caputo, focusing on draft prospects across all four major sports leagues as they related to Detroit’s teams.
Caputo was also a frequent guest on WJBK-TV’s local discussion program, SportsWorks, which paid tribute to him on air.
