Toronto - “Toronto harboured a superstar.  All of us were lucky to have him as long as we did.”  That from the late Jim Proudfoot, 13 years ago about his Toronto Star colleague Milt Dunnell.

The former newspaper sports columnist has died at the age of 102.   Dunnell died at North York General Hospital during the evening.

In 2005 when he turned 100, Dunnell said he didn’t think it was any great achievement.  He was a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and similar halls of fame for Hockey, Horse Racing and Football reporters.

He went around the world to cover sports, including Olympic Games in Mexico City and Melbourne. He followed Muhammad Ali to Zaire and the Philippines.

Dunnell wrote at the star from 1942 until 1994.