Dave Klein, who covered the first 54 Super Bowls, dies at 85

Dave Klein, one of only two sportswriters to attend the first 54 Super Bowls, died Wednesday, Steve Politi of NJ Advance Media reports. Klein was 85.

Klein began his career at The Star-Ledger in 1961, following in the footsteps of his father, Willie, who was the longtime sports editor at the time. His brother, Moss, joined the staff in 1972 and became the Yankees beat writer four years later.

For all the big events Klein covered, he was most known for his coverage of the Giants.

“We are saddened to hear of Dave’s passing,” the Giants said in a statement. “He devoted much of his professional life to covering our organization and keeping our fans informed. Our thoughts are with Dave’s family, friends and readers.”

Klein was one of only 338 media members credentialed for Super Bowl I on Jan. 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The league honored Klein, longtime Star-Ledger columnist Jerry Izenberg and Detroit News columnist Jerry Green, n 2016 as the only three writers to cover every one of the first 50 Super Bowls. Klein finally missed a Super Bowl during the COVID season of 2020 when the Bucs beat the Chiefs in Tampa, Florida.

Klein wrote 35 books, including “The Game of Their Lives” about the 1958 NFL Championship Game.