Former WJZ reporter, weekend sports anchor Stan Saunders dies at 72

Former WJZ reporter and weekend sports anchor Stan Saunders died on Friday, June 26, his family said. He was 72 years old.

Saunders, who retired from WJZ in 2013, was the founder of the nonprofit Baltimore Academy of Sports and Entertainment.

Saunders' family said he suffered from long COVID.

"It turned into sarcoidosis and took its toll," his family said in a statement. "So it is well with his soul and our souls, that The Man, The Myth, The Legend has gone to his resting place in Heaven."

Baltimore Academy of Sports and Entertainment was implemented into the Baltimore City Public School System in 2020. 

Saunders was an adjunct professor at Towson State University and a Professor of Media Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He later became a substitute teacher at Edmonson Westside High and Loch Raven Tech.  

Saunders was also a longtime staple on Baltimore TV screens, working for WJZ until 2013.

"He was truly beloved in our newsroom," WJZ stated. "Stan had a way with words. More than that, he had a presence you could feel. When Stan was in the newsroom, you knew it; his energy, humor, and spirit made us all better."