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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

Fans holding signs at a Denver Broncos game

The 8 Best Gifts for Denver Sports Fans

Beyond game tickets, here are eight creative ways to mark the holiday season for the Mile High City sports fan in your life.

The Mysterious History Behind the Murders That Led Up to the Sand Creek Massacre

No one really knows who killed the Hungate family, but their deaths were used to justify one of the U.S. military’s worst atrocities.

Barbed wire and orange sky

John Red Cloud, Once Imprisoned on a Dubious Parole Violation, Walks Free

A story in 5280’s June issue helped elevate the case of the Colorado inmate and the pitfalls of the state’s indeterminate-sentencing mandates.

Inside the Plan To Save Denver’s Central Business District

After Mayor Mike Johnston laid out his plan to revitalize downtown Denver, our reporter spent 18 consecutive hours in Union Station to better understand the post-pandemic obstacles the Mile High City still faces.

The Charming, Eccentric, Blessed Life of Lee Maxwell

Ninety-four-year-old Lee Maxwell lives in Eaton and owns a Guinness-world-record-holding washing machine museum. When his wife of 71 years recently died, Maxwell was left to ponder what his new life would look like—and if anyone, besides him, cares about his singular collection.

DaRon Holmes II wears a nice suit and shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the NBA Draft.

Introducing DaRon Holmes II, the Denver Nuggets’ New Big Man

We sat down with the first-round draft pick to discuss what he thinks about Joker, AG, the Mile High City—and Subarus.

Corridor between cells

How Did a Local From a Prominent American Indian Tribe Get Stuck in a Sex Offender System That Could Keep Him Behind Bars for Life?

John Red Cloud was a model parolee—that is, until the state of Colorado said he wasn’t.

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.

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