Scott Monserud, award-winning former Denver Post sports editor, dies at 69

Scott Monserud, who elevated The Denver Post’s sports section into one of the most respected in the country, died Monday at the age of 69.

Monserud worked at The Post for 22 years until his retirement in June 2023, including 17 as sports editor. He passed away, his family said, after a nine-year battle with prostate cancer.

“Scott rose to become editor of one of the best sports departments and sports sections in the country. But as I try to absorb this loss, that’s not what I’m remembering,” Post editor Lee Ann Colacioppo said.

“I think of how his appearance at my office door made me smile. I think about how, as sick as he was these last few months, he never failed to check in on me and my family and ask how we were doing.”

Under Monserud, The Post’s sports section was considered among the best in a changing industry, annually recognized for everything from breaking news to award-winning projects and column writing.

The Post received “Triple Crown” honors — Top 10 in Daily sections, Sunday sections and special sections — from the Associated Press Sports Editors annual contests three times during his tenure (2010, 2011 and 2014). From 2001-2023, APSE recognized The Post’s Sunday section as one of the Top 10 among the contest’s largest newspapers 12 different times. The Post was judged to be one of the Top 10 Daily sections five different times and to have produced among the Top 10 special sections another five times.

Greg Moore, The Post’s editor from 2002-16, described Monserud as “a really dedicated, hard worker” who was “about elevating sports coverage to an art and elevating it to a level of respect that the news side got.

“He was really, really into that, (about) demonstrating that it’s not just about covering the game and the scores. He loved and lived for the breaking news.”

A native of Monona, Iowa, and graduate of Iowa State, Monserud’s two decades-plus at The Post capped a career of 44 years in journalism.

Current Post sports editor Matt Schubert, who worked as a deputy under Monserud for four years, said what he’ll remember most about his former boss is how much he cared about the lives and work of those around him.

“Scott’s impact on sports journalism transcended the awards and recognition he received from his peers,” Schubert said. “He was a mentor and confidant for so many journalists who came into his orbit. He listened. He was empathetic. He built careers. For me and so many others who worked with him, he served as a role model for how to do the job well.”

Monserud’s Denver tenure coincided with one of the most fruitful periods in Front Range sports history, as he helped spearhead The Post’s coverage of two Broncos Super Bowls, including a victory at Super Bowl 50 in February 2016; the first-ever NBA championship for the Nuggets (2023); the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup win in 2022; and the first-ever back-to-back playoff berths for the Rockies (2017, ’18).

“He (was) a consummate sports journalist,” said Colorado Public Radio executive editor Kevin Dale, the former Post No. 2 editor who worked with Monserud at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and eventually hired him at The Post. “He might be the best story editor I’ve ever seen. He just had a knack for working with reporters and getting the very best out of them without taking their voice away.”

Monserud was renowned by peers for his writing, editing, leadership, listening and team-building skills, while always keeping a proverbial ear to the ground for the questions and topics on the minds of Denver fans. As sports editor, he hired and mentored dozens of award-winning journalists.

“Scott was a quiet man, a man of few words, but he saw so much and was so insightful. I can’t tell you how many stories of mine he molded and tweaked and made better,” longtime Post sports writer Patrick Saunders said. “He was a tough boss, too. He was demanding, but nobody worked harder than Scott. And he was a good friend — very kind and with a terrific sense of humor. Man, I’m going to miss him.”

“Scott provided a steady hand for The Post sports department as we weathered the ups and downs of the newspaper industry,” Post deputy sports editor Lori Punko said. “He always inspired his staff to do more even as we saw our resources diminish. I always appreciated the freedom he allowed me personally to be creative and do my job well. His leadership, friendship and sense of humor will be missed.”

Monserud’s award-winning sections were marked by stories and heartfelt narratives across the Front Range, from the preps to the pros. Although his own personal triumphs would prove to be just as compelling, especially over the last decade.

In August 2015, Monserud was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic prostate cancer, one that doctors told him had spread to his skeletal system and lymph nodes. He prepared to fight.

“The pity party was over,” Monserud wrote in a series detailing his journey that was published by The Post in 2017. “In sports parlance, it was game on.”

Monserud’s cancer fight galvanized readers and friends alike, recalled former Post editorial page editor Curtis Hubbard, who was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer in 2019.

“Scott was a real inspiration because he showed (that) the fight is not just our fight — it’s the fight of many thousands of other men,” Hubbard said. “He was always more interested in hearing about how other people were doing as opposed to focusing on his own battle.

“We had lunch probably a year ago and he’d sort of run out of tools in the toolbox. And you would think that, in that moment, there would be anger and disappointment. But with Scott, there was a persistence and still the attitude that he was going to give it everything he had.”

Moore, Dale and Monserud remained good friends for the rest of the latter’s life. The three golfed together regularly (Monserud’s constant adjustments over the ball were a frequent topic of brotherly needling). Monserud and Moore shared an eclectic passion for books and films, while Dale, a Packers fan, relished the moments whenever Green Bay faced off against Monserud’s beloved Vikings.

“He was one of those people blessed with smiling eyes and they helped take the edge off every difficult situation we encountered during our years working together,” Colacioppo said. “He leaves a legacy of an unyielding desire for excellence and a reminder that it needn’t come at the expense of being a compassionate and thoughtful colleague.”

Monserud is survived by his wife, Dorothea Ellerby and daughter, Alison; siblings Gary, Vicki (Welch), Bruce, Clay and Patti (Jackson), and multiple nieces and nephews. A living memorial service was held on Sept. 29.

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