(ATR) The doyen of Olympic beat journalists in the U.S. writes a final column.
Phil Hersh, 69, who started reporting on the Olympics in 1984 for the Chicago Tribune, leaves the paper November 25.
His last column, a summary of highlights from the past 30+ years, can be viewed here.
Hersh is respected for his ethics and revered for elegant writing, whether skewering Olympic pomposity or elevating the exploits of athletes. His expertise in figure skating is legendary but there probably is not a single Olympic event that would prompt writer's block for Hersh.
He tells Around the Rings he has "no plans" at the moment, but it’s hard to believe we’ve heard the last of Mr. Hersh.
Retirement may mean more time to go to opera – or travel to hear his cello-playing son Nick – who is assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Mike Moran was USOC communications director during many of the Olympics covered by Hersh.
"Phil Hersh set the standard in the United States for his coverage of the Olympic family, the Games,figure skating and he never took a pause in his passion for the beat. To say he will be missed is an understatement to say the least. He is smart, thorough and was thoughtful and considerate when it called for that. But he also could be tough and critical when it called for it. It is no accident that he had the inside on so many stories and individuals in his career. He was a friend, a colleague and a writer that had rules and ethics that never bent," says Moran.
Current USOC communications director Patrick Sandusky professes that he will miss the sometimes irascible Hersh, Before joining the USOC, Sandusky had a similar post with the Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympics.
"As a Chicagoan I always felt proud that the dean of American Olympic journalists was from my city. Nobody had more passion for every Olympic sport and every Olympic athlete than Phil," says Sandusky.
Written by Ed Hula.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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