Warren Woods
Birthplace
Sudbury, Ontario
Birthdate
August 28, 1954
Deceased
January 20, 2021
First Media Job
CKSO AM, Sudbury, Ontario
Photo Credit
Regina Global
CKSO Radio lays claim to Warren ‘Woodsy’ Woods’ first job in his broadcasting career as Announcer as well as being in his hometown where he was born and raised. His boyhood dreams of being a hockey play-by-play announcer may have been one of the influences that inspired Warren to enroll at Mohawk College, specializing in Communication Arts. Those dreams and aspirations came early in Warren’s life when at the young age of 12 he attended his very first game at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. This would be the Leafs’ championship season of 1966-67. He turned this occasion into his own introduction to play-by-play for which he even won first prize in a regional public speaking contest. It seemed getting an early start was a trend for Warren when he began working as an FM Board Operator at CKSO FM before his first year of college. Before he entered his second year at Mohawk Warren had been offered a job at CKSO AM and he decided he would take the position and continue to learn on the job. Program Director Paul Burke hired him to host the all-night show in 1974. It wasn’t long before he was hosting evening shows and other day parts.
After five years at CKSO, Warren moved to CFCL TV in Timmins, Ontario in a new role as Sports Director. He continued to serve in this capacity in television when he next moved to Thunder Bay two years later in 1981. He remained at Thunder Bay Television for six years.
Warren Woods headed west to Regina in August, 1987. There, he became part of the original sports team at the then STV (now Global). Warren became a household name in the city anchoring sports during “Evening News” at 6:00, “Prime News” at 10:00 in the evening and finally on “News Final”, 11:00 at night. He would stay on for about 25 years before he realized there could be another move for him in his broadcast career, and with mixed feelings, Warren took advantage of an exceptional opportunity and moved to News Talk 980 CJME, Saskatoon, in July of 2013.
As part of the CJME team Warren delivered sports news on the station’s morning show and co-hosted the “Green Zone” weekday afternoons.
A memorable event for Warren in his career dates back to November of 1989 when he was covering the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Toronto as the Roughriders won the team’s second Grey Cup. The final score in that contest, Saskatchewan beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 43-40.
With a passion for curling, Warren was recognized as being a leader in the increasing of quality and quantity of curling coverage in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Curling Association, CURLSASK, as part of its 100th Anniversary Year in 2004, launched the Saskatchewan Legends of Curling Honour Roll. It recognizes those who have served the sport of curling in Saskatchewan, both on and off the ice. Warren was inducted into the Media division in April of 2014, honouring him for his expertise and professionalism in covering all sports.
In addition to Grey Cup games, briers and World Curling Championships Warren has also covered World Junior Hockey championships.
When time permitted, he travelled to the Okanagan to see his two grandchildren and “spoil them rotten”!
It was never uncommon to find Warren acting as Master of Ceremonies for many a banquet, being a favourite at many local dinners and award nights in Regina. One of Warren’s favourite places to be was the Lancaster Tap House on Gordon Road in Regina! His passions also included jujubes, summertime, golf and curling.
Warren Woods passed away on Wednesday afternoon, January 20, 2021 from complications due to COVID-19. He was diagnosed with having contracted the virus in late November of 2020. He was admitted to Regina General Hospital where he remained until his death fiercely fighting his illness determined to beat it. Following the announcement of his passing there was a tremendous outpouring of sympathies, tributes and reminiscing from Regina, Sudbury, Timmons, Thunder Bay and across Canada. The sporting community and the media universe made sure that Warren’s family and friends knew how loved and respected Warren was. There seemed no end to the offering of condolences and comforting thoughts directed to Warren’s family, friends and colleagues coming from conventional and social media platforms. Such was testament to the huge degree of love and admiration people had for Woodsy. Further confirmation came about when a GoFundMe page was set up early in January of 2021 when it was expected that assistance would be needed to cope with an expected long, but progressive journey and recovery. The $50,000 goal was exceeded within only one day!
In addition to the community at large, Warren left behind his two adult children, Nicole, Chris and Chris’ wife Cara, and grandchildren Sloan and Jack.
