Ready Reference Files

Fat Lady Sings

The quote, "The opera ain't over until the fat lady sings" originated with San Antonio sports broadcaster Dan Cook during a television newscast in April 1978. He coined the famous phrase after the first basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets during the 1977-78 National Basketball Association playoffs, to illustrate that while the Spurs had won once, the series was not over yet. The quote has often been attributed to Dick Motta, coach of the Washington Bullets basketball team, but it actually originated with Cook. Cook said his line was a takeoff on Yogi Berra's line, "The game isn't over 'til it's over," and this story behind the saying is recorded in the Library of Congress.

Source: "Dear Abby", San Francisco Chronicle, November 22, 1987.
Also: The Washington Post, June 11, 1978, p.D6.

Verified by: GM, 6/98

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While the Library has verified the information presented in these files in what it considers to be reliable and authoritative sources, it cannot take responsibility for nor guarantee the accuracy of the information presented.