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Robert Sanchez

Senior Staff Writer

Robert Sanchez has written on everything from inner-city gangs to brain trauma to natural disasters. Features he’s written have been recognized by the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists, the City and Regional Magazine Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists, among others. Sanchez’s work has been anthologized twice in the “Best American Sports Writing” series (with two other stories listed as “notable”), in “Next Wave” (a collection of the best American writers younger than 40), and in “Words Matter” (which features 20 influential University of Missouri School of Journalism graduates). Additionally, his work has been featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”, as well in ESPN The Magazine, Esquire, and Men’s Health. In 2014, he was named CRMA’s writer of the year.

In addition to his magazine experience, Sanchez is a former staff writer for the Associated Press, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Denver Post, and the Rocky Mountain News. Sanchez was born near Boston, but was raised in Colorado. He graduated with honors from the University of Missouri and is married to his high school sweetheart. They have two children.

Articles By Robert Sanchez

Looking Back On the All-Woman Colorado Silver Bullets Baseball Team

Thirty years ago, the barnstorming Colorado Silver Bullets women’s baseball team played its first season to national fanfare. Three decades later, the players have moved on in their lives, even as their legacy is still being written.

Train depot at Union Station in Denver

This Rail Expert Says a Front Range Passenger Train Would Be a Costly Disaster. Here’s Why.

Economist and transportation guru Randal O’Toole says the passenger line’s failure is predictable.

Did Bad Fire Science Send Tim and Deb Nicholls to Prison?

Twenty years ago, a house fire killed three children. Prosecutors used spurious science to convict Tim and Deb Nicholls of murder. Do they deserve a new trial?

12 Colorado Graveyards You Should Visit This Spooky Season

If you’re looking for goosebumps—plus a good history lesson—these burial grounds have what you’re seeking.

The Deion Sanders Era at CU Boulder Starts Now

Deion Sanders has overhauled the University of Colorado Boulder’s football team in the nine months since he was named head coach. As the season begins, what will constitute success for one of the boldest experiments in major college football?

Life, Love, and Fear: The Joy and Toll of Caring for a Family Member With an Intellectual or Developmental Disability

Roughly one quarter of Coloradans are living with some form of intellectual or developmental disability. In the most serious cases, medical advances have increased life spans, but that newfound longevity has created a host of challenges for parents and other caregivers.

Nikola Jokic snags a rebound.

How to Build a Championship-Worthy Team

Using drafts, trades, and free agency, the Denver Nuggets’ brass has created a roster that’s just two wins away from its first-ever NBA title.

A member of the Boulder Collegians connects.

The Best Baseball Team You’ve Never Heard Of

The league champion Boulder Collegians take their swings in the shadows of the Flatirons, where they try to recapture a baseball vibe from decades past.

Why Was a Man Who Stopped a Mass Shooting Shot and Killed by Arvada Police?

Johnny Hurley was certain of many things in his life—one of which was that he would someday have the opportunity to stop an active shooter. On June 21, 2021, he did.

The pitched ceiling inside St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Denver at Auroria Campus.

The Curious Case of Denver’s Potential Saint

A so-called anarchist murdered a Mile High City priest 115 years ago, but what’s the real story and its aftermath?

What Happens When Millennials Can’t Afford to Live in Denver?

Denver has been a hot spot for millennial transplants for years. But what happens when the generation born between roughly 1981 and 1996 suddenly becomes the one that can’t afford to stay?

Why Did Walter Springs Die?

When a 24-year-old Denver soldier was shot and killed by military police near his base in Texas in 1942, his family and friends suspected the official story wasn’t complete. They were right.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on a blue background next to challenger John Kellner on a red background

9 Questions for Attorney General Candidates Phil Weiser and John Kellner

5280 sat down with both candidates in the tight race to discuss fentanyl, crime, reproductive rights, and other issues that the top law-enforcement official in the state will face.

An Aerial view of Glenwood Canyon.

The Stretch of I-70 Through Glenwood Canyon Is 30 Years Old. Will It Survive Another 30 Years?

Thirty years ago, engineers completed construction on the Glenwood Canyon stretch of Colorado’s most important east-west interstate. Today, climate change threatens that critical section of I-70—and anyone who travels it.

John Matocha

Season Preview: Colorado School of Mines Football

A new head coach with a championship pedigree leads a Mines team that already had title aspirations. Will this Division II school in Golden be Colorado’s most successful football program?

Zack Hample holding some of his baseballs.

YouTuber (Kinda, Sorta) Apologizes for Video Takedown of Coors Field Security

Zack Hample’s stadium critique of the Colorado Rockies’ ballpark went viral on social media—and then (kinda, sorta) blew up in his face.

10 Years After His Son Was Murdered in the Aurora Theater Massacre, Tom Sullivan’s Work Is Still Not Finished

Alex Sullivan was killed in the 2012 shooting, along with 11 others. His father, Tom, subsequently began a career in state politics focusing on issues related to gun violence and safety. In an interview, Sullivan talked about losing his son, the challenges of passing gun-violence legislation, and whether or not Alex would approve of Tom’s musical tastes.

How Do You Rebuild Your Life After Losing Everything in the Marshall Fire?

Stories of love, loss, and perseverance in the face of disaster.

Will the Rainbow Gathering Run Roughshod Over Colorado’s Public Lands?

The Rainbow Family will celebrate their 50th anniversary in Colorado, where it all started, while Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests land managers braces for their impact.

Denver’s Department of Public Safety Defends the City’s Response to Homeless Encampments

Critics argue the city’s Street Enforcement Team, which was created by the Denver City Council last year, isn’t much different from the police. Armando Saldate, who helms the city’s Department of Public Safety, says that’s not the case.

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