Fred Faour
| Fred M. Faour | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater |
University of Houston (B.A.) University of Houston–Clear Lake (M.A.) |
| Occupation | |
| Known for |
Radio: The Blitz with Fred Faour and AJ Hoffman Monday-Friday 4-7 p.m. CT on ESPN 97.5 FM |
| Website | Official Blog |
Fred Faour is a sports radio talk show host in Houston, Texas. Faour is a co-host on KFNC's flagship show "The Blitz" from Monday thru Friday (4-7 p.m. CT). He was previously a sports editor at the Houston Chronicle.
Career
Faour was introduced into sports journalism by his parents. His late father (also named Fred Faour) worked on the Houston Chronicle sports desk for 29 years, and his mother, Pat Monych, was the first female sports editor in Texas in the early 1970s at the Texas City Sun.[1]
He began his career by answering phones in the Chronicle sports department at age 16 in 1981. He then worked the agate desk five nights a week while going to college at the University of Houston. After graduating in 1987, Faour was hired as a full-time copy editor, and later promoted to Sunday sports editor in 1989. He left the Chronicle in the early 1990s and returned as a part-timer in 1995, "covering horse racing, working desk and trying all sorts of other careers on the side."[1] Faour was hired as Assistant Sports Editor in 1997,[1] before being promoted to Sports Editor in 2005.[2]
Faour was named the Houston Chronicle's Editor of the Year in 2002. The Chronicle's sports section was recognized as one of the best in the country under his guidance. As a horse racing writer, he won three major awards for his stories.
After the Houston Chronicle, Faour went on to expand his career into sports radio. He hosted The Front Page with co-host Matt Dean until mid-2009 when they were moved to a daily time slot[3] and renamed The Blitz. In May, 2010, A.J. Hoffman replaced Dean on The Blitz, which was on ESPN 97.5 FM (KFNC) in the Houston areas from 12 P.M. to 2 P.M. every weekday. Faour and Hoffman were No. 1 or 2 in the time slot for most of their tenure at midday. The duo was suspended in 2011 for an incident where they pepper sprayed their producer on air.
In October, 2012, Faour and Hoffman moved to Drive Time from 4-7 p.m. Central. The show is still called The Blitz. At the same time, Faour also began hosting a Saturday night show on Yahoo Sports Network from 8-10 p.m. Eastern. The show ended in April 2014.
Besides radio, he currently writes fiction and does a sports column on Examiner.com. He also taught journalism at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas until May, 2012. He has also hosted and produced television sports shows and produced his own magazine, The Racing Star.
Faour is an avid gambler. His book bio states he has picked long shot Breeders' Cup winners Anees, Unbridled Elaine and Street Sense. He also qualified for the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event online for only $9.
He is married to Valerie Anderson, a Canadian citizen, whom Faour often refers to on The Blitz as the "Canadian Hottie." He also claims Anderson is his "Third and a half" wife. He has two children from a previous marriage.
Faour has also been a rock guitarist and vocalist, done management consulting, and PR consulting.
Bibliography
Faour is the author of Acing Racing: An introductory guide to horse wagering for poker players, sports bettors and action junkies,[4] his first published book. Acing Racing was released in late 2011 and is available in print and electronic formats. Faour is also the author of the pending novel, Jesus Just Left Chicago.
Non-Fiction
- 2011 Acing Racing: An introductory guide to horse gambling for poker players, sports bettors and online action junkies, ISBN 978-1432781743 (OP).
Audio recordings
- 2015 An Introduction to Sports Betting: Blitz Style, w/ AJ Hoffman, edited and produced by Michael Carrell (Gow Media Publishing)
Nicknames
Throughout his career, Faour has picked up (or self-procaim himself) the following nickhames: Faour Power, Trout, Uncle Freddy, The Falcon, The Gargoyle, The Horseman, King Faour, President Faour, Prime Minister Faour, "Fred "Quick Weight Loss" Faour", Big Daddy Faour, The Smart One, Not My Nickname Faour, Lord Falcon Targaryen, Dr. Fonzy Faour, Savior Faour, " Derf", and Ferd. "Fred the Quick Weight Loss sponsored Deflator". Most of these nicknames have not been verified and are possibly made up (according to Faour on his radio show).
References
- 1 2 3 APSE (2005), Fred M. Faour, Associated Press Sports Editors, retrieved November 13, 2015
- ↑ Two at the Chronicle promoted to top posts, Houston Chronicle, June 5, 2005
- ↑ David Barron (September 4, 2009), TV-Radio Notebook: Football is in the air again, Houston Chronicle
- ↑ Acing Racing, Outskirts Press, retrieved November 13, 2015