Schools pay tribute to writer Hough
Bob Hough covered athletic events at every high school in Anne Arundel County during his 25 years working for the Capital Gazette.
First as a freelancer and later as a fulltime staff writer, Hough was devoted and dedicated to reporting on high school sports.
Lord knows how many times Hough treaded the artificial turf at Pascal Field while covering a St. Mary’s football, soccer or lacrosse game. Allison Fondale, who has been athletic director at St. Mary’s in 2014, said Hough was a familiar sight standing behind the scorer’s table located between the two benches on the far sideline along Bestgate Road.
Hough died suddenly on Oct. 31 at his apartment in Pasadena. He was 46 years old and the medical examiner ruled the death was exacerbated by a lengthy bout with COVID-19.
Hough, who spent 25 years with the newspaper, passed at a time when high school athletics were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. But prep sports are once again being played in Anne Arundel County this spring, and he would no doubt have been back on the sidelines with notepad in hand.
Fondale thought about that when
St. Mary’s resumed athletic activities. She looked at the schedule and saw a Severn at St. Mary’s girls’ lacrosse game and thought about all the times Hough covered that exact event.
That is when Fondale decided to honor Hough’s memory with a special ceremony during the St. Mary’s-Severn girls’ lacrosse contest.
“Bob would have been covering this game. That’s why we chose this game — because we knew Bob would be standing over there between the benches taking notes and talking to us about the game,” Fondale said.
It was typical of 2020-21 and not surprising that coronavirus caused a slight change in plans. St. Mary’s varsity girls’ lacrosse is currently on pause due to coronavirus protocols, so Fondale pivoted and conducted the ceremony recognizing Hough during the
Severn-St. Mary’s junior varsity girls’ lacrosse game instead.
Fans arriving at Pascal Field saw a message on the scoreboard that read “In Memory of Bob Hough — 1974-2020” alongside the Fleur-de-lis that is the St. Mary’s symbol.
“Bob was such an incredible supporter of Anne Arundel County athletics, so this was a way we could let his family know what he meant to all of us,” Fondale said. “At St. Mary’s and Severn School, we really appreciated all that Bob did to recognize our athletes.”
St. Mary’s had an abbreviated winter sports season and Fondale sensed something was missing when she did not see Hough at any of the basketball games.
“We noticed Bob’s absence as soon as sports came back. There is someone not standing there anymore,” Fondale said. “There is definitely a major void in Anne Arundel County high school athletics without Bob.”
Fondale teamed up with Severn
School athletic director Julian Domenech to plan the ceremony. Growing up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Hough was a rabid fan of the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates. After his parents divorced, Hough moved to Anne Arundel County along with his mother and sister in the 1980s.
Hough attended Glen Burnie High, where he played varsity tennis and was a fan of all the school’s various sports.
“Bob just loved sports. It didn’t matter if it was football, basketball, hockey or baseball,” Richard Hough, his father, said.
“Bob loved being a sportswriter because it provided an opportunity to pursue his passion.”