Nevada Press Association The best in Nevada journalism since 1924
Related Articles
Ray Hagar got his first job in journalism at the age of 17 and is still going strong 50 years later.
Born in Reno and raised in Sparks, he has spent most of his career covering sports and politics in Northern Nevada and making himself one of the most widely-respected reporters in the state.
While still a senior in high school in 1970, Hagar got a job with the Reno Evening Gazette and Nevada State Journal as a sports stringer. After graduating from journalism school at the University of Nevada in 1975, he worked as a sports writer and photographer for the Gardnerville Record-Courier and a sports editor and photographer for the Sparks Tribune, before returning to the Evening Gazette and State Journal in 1977.
Hagar’s instinctual defense of his journalistic independence led to an incident in 1979 that made national headlines. He was interviewing hot-headed New York Yankees manager Billy Martin, who objected to one of Hagar’s questions. “He said that writers always twist things,” Hagar told AP. “He saw me writing things down and he wanted to see my notes.” Hagar refused and held his notes behind his back as Martin reached around to grab them. Martin slugged him. The Evening Gazette protested and eventually there was a financial settlement and apology from Martin.
In 1987, Hagar left Nevada for a relatively brief spell in Texas as sports editor of the El Paso Times. Six years later, he came home for a third stint at the paper that had by then been renamed the Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ). He began covering public affairs and politics in 2003 as co-host with Sam Shad on Nevada Newsmakers, beginning a new chapter in his career that continues to this day.
His prominence as a political reporter continued to rise in 2010, when he began writing the “Inside Nevada Politics” blog for RGJ. It quickly became must reading for anyone trying to understand politics in the state.
Hagar also co-authored a book in 2010 with his friend Guy Clifton. Johnson-Jeffries: Dateline Reno was released on the 100th anniversary of the Jack Johnson-James J. Jeffries “Fight of the Century” in Reno.
Since retiring from the RGJ in 2016, Hagar has continued to co-host Nevada Newsmakers and to write political news features for the Gazette Journal.
More on Ray Hagar:
D**n !!! Didn’t know Hagar was still in journalism,but hi,Ray !!!!!