Glen Crevier, who has directed the Star Tribune's award-winning sports coverage for the past 20 years, will retire next month, ending a 43-year journalism career.

In announcing Crevier's decision on Thursday, Star Tribune Editor Rene Sanchez called Crevier "a sharp, creative strategist — a master planner."

"He has led our hard-charging sports staff to national honors year after year," Sanchez said. "He has orchestrated in-depth, compelling coverage of every single big sporting event in Minnesota and every seminal moment in sports here, the triumphs and the tragedies, for two decades. He has introduced a wave of new features to our sports coverage in the daily print section and digitally. And he has recruited and developed more talented sports journalists at the Star Tribune staff than we could ever list."

Crevier's career began as a prep basketball reporter in Marion, Ind., and led him west before he became the assistant managing editor for sports at the Star Tribune in 1998.

"I've been blessed to have had a fulfilling career in this business," Crevier wrote in his announcement. "Frankly, it's all I've ever wanted to do and I've had a lifetime of memories doing it."

The Star Tribune routinely is recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as one of the nation's best producers of sports coverage. Last year, the Star Tribune collected the "triple crown" of APSE awards: top honors in daily section, Sunday section and digital content judging. The year before, it won the prestigious "grand slam," adding a special section top honor to the other big three.

"Our success and peer recognition would never have been accomplished without having such a talented and dedicated sports staff," Crevier said. "I have been surrounded by terrific editors and team leaders, a copy desk and design team second to none in the industry, talented and dedicated reporters and columnists — a sports staff committed to excellence and driven to succeed."

Longtime columnist Sid Hartman has a slightly different view than his boss. "We have the best sports section around," Hartman said recently, "and he's the reason why."