PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Joe Juliano has been one of the top sportswriters in Philadelphia for decades. A staple at the Philadelphia Inquirer since the mid '80s, he has covered sports ranging from college football to golf.
In fact, during his long career, Juliano has covered just about every sporting event there is to cover. But there is one he says he enjoys the most.
“I’ve covered the Penn Relays every year since 1976 and I have just had a ball every year. It's never been work, even (on) the weekends (when) it's been forty degrees or it’s been pouring rain or anything like that," he said.
"You kind of grumble when you get home, but all in all, you just really enjoy that kind of atmosphere, that kind of setting, just the whole point of the Penn Relays. People come back every year to the Penn Relays and sit in the same seats and talk about the old times and appreciate the new times. It is just a wonderful, wonderful experience."
Juliano has worked with some great writers during his time at the Inquirer, but pointed to one that had the most influence on him, the late Bill Lyon.
"Not only was Bill a great writer, he proved you could be a great writer and be a good guy. There are some egomaniacs in our business, on a national scale, that are sometimes tough to deal with, but Bill was just always so human," he recalled.
"He treated you like you were an equal, and I was never Bill Lyon's equal. But he was just the best guy to work with, the most considerate, you know, 'Hey Joe, I'm going to do this, am I getting in your way?' Bill, you never get in my way."
Lyon passed away in 2019 at the age of 81.
You can listen to the entire interview with Joe Juliano by checking out the latest episode, above, of the KYW Newsradio original podcast, "1-on-1 with Matt Leon." Subscribe on the RADIO.COM app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Matt Leon on Twitter @MattLeon1060.