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NBC News
13-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC News
John Feinstein, bestselling author and one of country's foremost sports writers, dies at 69
John Feinstein, one of the country's foremost sports writers and the author of numerous bestselling books, died unexpectedly Thursday. He was 69. Feinstein died of natural causes at his brother's home in McLean, Virginia. Robert Feinstein said he discovered John's body. Feinstein was a full-time reporter for The Washington Post from 1977 to 1991 and a commentator for outlets such as NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. He remained with the Post as a contributing columnist, and he also hosted satellite radio programs on SiriusXM. 'He was very passionate about things,' Robert Feinstein said. 'People either loved him or hated him — and equally strongly.' John Feinstein was working until the time of his death. He was in Washington this week to cover the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and he filed a column Wednesday for the Post on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Feinstein was comfortable writing about an array of sports, but he was best-known for his connection to college basketball because of his groundbreaking book, 'A Season on the Brink.' Feinstein took a leave of absence from the Post in 1985 to embed with coach Bob Knight's Indiana team, and the book highlighted the author's flair for the dramatic and ability to capture his subjects' personalities. Knight's reputation for having a hot temper was well-established by then, and Feinstein brought it to life. But Feinstein also effectively portrayed the personal relationships Knight had with his players, which could alternate between warm and abusive. He went on to write more than 40 books, including 'A Good Walk Spoiled' (1995), about professional golf, and 'A Civil War' (1996), about the Army-Navy football game. After that book's publication, he worked for many years as a radio commentator for Navy football. 'The Ancient Eight,' about Ivy League football, was published last year. Feinstein also wrote sports novels aimed at younger readers.
Chicago Tribune
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
John Feinstein, bestselling author and nationally renowned sports writer, dies at 69
WASHINGTON — John Feinstein, one of the country's foremost sports writers and the author of numerous bestselling books, died unexpectedly Thursday. He was 69. Feinstein died of natural causes at his brother's home in McLean, Va. Robert Feinstein said he discovered John's body. Feinstein was a full-time reporter for The Washington Post from 1977-91 and a commentator for outlets such as NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. He remained with the Post as a contributing columnist and also hosted satellite radio programs on SiriusXM. 'He was very passionate about things,' Robert Feinstein said. 'People either loved him or hated him — and equally strongly.' John Feinstein was working until the time of his death. He was in Washington this week to cover the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and he filed a column Wednesday for the Post on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Feinstein was comfortable writing about an array of sports, but he was best-known for his connection to college basketball because of his groundbreaking book 'A Season on the Brink.' Feinstein took a leave of absence from the Post in 1985 to embed with coach Bob Knight's Indiana team, and the book highlighted the author's flair for the dramatic and ability to capture his subjects' personalities. Knight's reputation for having a hot temper was well-established by then, and Feinstein brought it to life. But Feinstein also effectively portrayed the personal relationships Knight had with his players, which could alternative between warm and abusive. He went on to write more than 40 books, including 'A Good Walk Spoiled' (1995), about professional golf, and 'A Civil War' (1996), about the Army-Navy football game. After that book's publication, he worked for many years as a radio commentator for Navy football. 'The Ancient Eight,' about Ivy League football, was published last year. Feinstein also wrote sports novels aimed at younger readers. Feinstein is survived by his wife, Christine, son Danny and daughters Brigid and Jayne, as well as Robert and his sister, Margaret. Originally Published: March 13, 2025 at 4:35 PM CDT
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
John Feinstein, bestselling author and one of country's foremost sports writers, dies at 69
John Feinstein, one of the country's foremost sports writers and the author of numerous bestselling books, died unexpectedly Thursday. He was 69. Feinstein died of natural causes at his brother's home in McLean, Virginia. Robert Feinstein said he discovered John's body. Feinstein was a full-time reporter for The Washington Post from 1977 to 1991 and a commentator for outlets such as NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. He remained with the Post as a contributing columnist, and he also hosted satellite radio programs on SiriusXM. 'He was very passionate about things,' Robert Feinstein said. ' People either loved him or hated him — and equally strongly.' John Feinstein was working until the time of his death. He was in Washington this week to cover the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and he filed a column Wednesday for the Post on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Feinstein was comfortable writing about an array of sports, but he was best-known for his connection to college basketball because of his groundbreaking book 'A Season on the Brink.' Feinstein took a leave of absence from the Post in 1985 to embed with coach Bob Knight's Indiana team, and the book highlighted the author's flair for the dramatic and ability to capture his subjects' personalities. Knight's reputation for having a hot temper was well-established by then, and Feinstein brought it to life. But Feinstein also effectively portrayed the personal relationships Knight had with his players, which could alternative between warm and abusive. He went on to write more than 40 books, including 'A Good Walk Spoiled' (1995), about professional golf, and 'A Civil War' (1996), about the Army-Navy football game. After that book's publication, he worked for many years as a radio commentator for Navy football. 'The Ancient Eight,' about Ivy League football, was published last year. Feinstein also wrote sports novels aimed at younger readers. Feinstein is survived by his wife, Christine, son Danny and daughters Brigid and Jayne, as well as Robert and his sister, Margaret. ___
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
John Feinstein, Washington Post columnist who wrote 'A Season on the Brink' and other books, dies
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Feinstein, one of the country's foremost sports writers and the author of numerous bestselling books, died unexpectedly Thursday. He was 69. Feinstein died of natural causes at his brother's home in McLean, Virginia. Robert Feinstein said he discovered John's body. Feinstein was a full-time reporter for The Washington Post from 1977 to 1991 and a commentator for outlets such as NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. He remained with the Post as a contributing columnist, and he also hosted satellite radio programs on SiriusXM. 'He was very passionate about things,' Robert Feinstein said. 'People either loved him or hated him — and equally strongly.' John Feinstein was working until the time of his death. He was in Washington this week to cover the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and he filed a column Wednesday for the Post on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Feinstein was comfortable writing about an array of sports, but he was best-known for his connection to college basketball because of his groundbreaking book 'A Season on the Brink.' Feinstein took a leave of absence from the Post in 1985 to embed with coach Bob Knight's Indiana team, and the book highlighted the author's flair for the dramatic and ability to capture his subjects' personalities. Knight's reputation for having a hot temper was well-established by then, and Feinstein brought it to life. But Feinstein also effectively portrayed the personal relationships Knight had with his players, which could alternative between warm and abusive. He went on to write more than 40 books, including 'A Good Walk Spoiled' (1995), about professional golf, and 'A Civil War' (1996), about the Army-Navy football game. After that book's publication, he worked for many years as a radio commentator for Navy football. 'The Ancient Eight,' about Ivy League football, was published last year. Feinstein also wrote sports novels aimed at younger readers. Feinstein is survived by his wife, Christine, son Danny and daughters Brigid and Jayne, as well as Robert and his sister, Margaret. ___ AP Sports Writer Eric Olson in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
New York Times
13-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
John Feinstein, Who Wrote ‘A Season on the Brink,' Dies at 69
John Feinstein, an indefatigable sportswriter for The Washington Post and the author of more than 40 books, including the best sellers 'A Season on the Brink' (1986) and 'A Good Walk Spoiled' (1996), died on Thursday at his brother's home in McLean, Va. He was 69. His brother, Robert, said the cause was probably a heart attack. Mr. Feinstein's last column, about Michigan State men's basketball coach, Tom Izzo, appeared in The Post on Thursday. Mr. Feinstein became one of America's best-known sportswriters after 'A Season on the Brink,' which focused on the 1985-86 Indiana University basketball team led by the mercurial coach Bobby Knight, became a best seller. The book gave readers the kind of journalistic access to Mr. Knight — a brilliant tactician but a complicated personality — that sports books usually did not offer. Although Mr. Knight didn't speak to Mr. Feinstein for eight years after the book's publication — angry about all the profanity that spilled from his mouth and onto its pages — Mr. Feinstein praised the coach after his death in 2023 for boosting his career. In a column for The Post, Mr. Feinstein wrote that the open door Mr. Knight gave him made 'A Season on the Brink' an enormous success, 'which has allowed me to pick and choose book topics for the past 38 years.' 'Not once did Knight back away from the access,' he added, 'even during some difficult moments for his team.' The book was adapted into a television movie in 2002, starring Brian Dennehy as Mr. Knight. With astonishing speed, Mr. Feinstein wrote and reported books on basketball, baseball, tennis, football, golf and the Olympics. ('A Good Walk Spoiled' is about golfers on the PGA Tour.) He was especially well known for his insightful portraits of athletes and coaches. His most recent books include two published last year: 'Five Banners: Inside the Duke Dynasty' (he graduated from Duke University in 1977) and 'The Ancient Eight: College Football's Ivy League and the Game They Play Today.' Mr. Feinstein also wrote novels for young readers; his 'Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery,' won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for best young-adult book in 2006. He also contributed to NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. His family knew about his work ethic from a young age. 'He was a cuckoo head — seriously,' Robert Feinstein said in a phone interview. 'He would watch Met games and keep a box score of every game he watched — and he did that forever.' A full obituary will appear shortly.
