Grant Wahl to Be Honored Posthumously by U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The late Grant Wahl will be honored with this year's Colin Jose Media Award, given to journalists who made long-term contributions to soccer in the United States.

Wahl died at age 49 on Dec. 10 after collapsing while covering the World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and the Netherlands at Lusail, Qatar.

Grant Wahl worked for Sports Illustrated for 25 years and helped grow the popularity of soccer in the U.S. with his persistent, world-class coverage.

Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated

Wahl will be honored at the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame induction at Frisco, Texas, on May 6, the hall said Wednesday. Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Lauren Cheney Holiday, Kate Sobrero Markgraf, former U.S. women's coach Jill Ellis and Steve Zungul will be inducted into the hall.

Wahl worked for Sports Illustrated from 1996 to 2020, covering soccer and college basketball, then started his own website. He also worked for Fox and CBS, and he wrote the books “The Beckham Experiment” about England star David Beckham’s move to Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy and “Masters of Modern Soccer."

An autopsy by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office determined Wahl died from an aortic aneurysm.

The award, first given in 2004, is named after the Hall's historian emeritus.