Bud Collins
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2016) |
Bud Collins | |
---|---|
Born | Arthur Worth Collins Jr. June 17, 1929 Lima, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | March 4, 2016 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 86)
Occupation(s) | Sports columnist TV commentator |
Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. (June 17, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American
Education
Collins was born on June 17, 1929, in
From 1959 to 1963, Collins served as tennis coach at Brandeis University, where one of his players was future political activist Abbie Hoffman. Collins said about Hoffman: "We didn't like each other, but he was a good competitor. He also had a better car than I did."[3] At the time of Collins' death in 2016, the 1959 team was the only undefeated tennis team in Brandeis history.
Career as a journalist
Collins began writing for the
Collins covered numerous sports, athletes and teams for The Boston Globe, including the Boston Red Sox during their "Impossible Dream" 1967 season.[5]
During Collins' years with The Boston Globe, he was a general and political columnist and also wrote for the paper's travel section. In 1967, he became a candidate for the office of mayor of Boston.
During the
Collins was hired by ESPN on August 7, 2007. He teamed with former NBC partner Dick Enberg on the network's Wimbledon, US Open, French Open and Australian Open coverage.[8] He also covered the US Open for XM Satellite Radio.
In 1999, Collins received the Red Smith Award, the nation's most prestigious sportswriting honor, awarded by Associated Press Sports Editors.
Collins was inducted in the
Collins is credited with popularizing the term 'Bagel', referring to a set in tennis that ends with a score of 6–0, after it was coined by Harold Solomon.[9]
Playing career
Although Collins described himself as a "hacker," he was an accomplished tennis player. He won the U.S. indoor mixed-doubles championship (with
Other activities
Collins authored several books, including The Education of a Tennis Player (with Rod Laver, 1971), Evonne! On the Move (with Evonne Goolagong Cawley, 1974) and a memoir, My Life With the Pros (1989). He also produced several tennis encyclopedias, including The Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis, the Bud Collins Tennis Encyclopedia and Total Tennis.
In 1992, Collins hosted the 116th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on the USA Network.[10]
In 1994, Collins was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Collins' trademark unusual bowties and pants were custom-made from unique fabrics that he collected during his travels. According to Collins' website, all of his pants were fashioned by tailor Charlie Davidson at the Andover Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2006, he made a cameo appearance as himself in the episode "Spellingg Bee" for the television show Psych.
His papers and manuscripts are housed currently at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.[11] In September 2015, in recognition of his years of service to tennis, the media center at the US Open Tennis Center was named the Bud Collins Media Center.[12]
Death
Collins died on March 4, 2016, at age 86 in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.[13]
On the news of his death, fellow journalists praised Collins. Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote: "If you ever met Bud, you know he was brilliant, clever, generous, funny, knowledgeable, and irreverent. If you never met Bud...I am so sorry. You missed out."[5] USA Today columnist Christine Brennan, who had covered numerous tennis events with Collins, said: "He loved events, he loved people, he just loved everything. There wasn't a better journalist, there wasn't a nicer guy, and there wasn't a better friend than Bud Collins."[13]
Many in the tennis world spoke of Collins' impact on the game. John McEnroe said: "He was certainly a character, and in a sport like ours, it's pretty evident that we need more of those these days. He was someone who loved tennis, lived and breathed it, and we don't have enough of those people, either."[13] Billie Jean King remarked: "Few people have had the historical significance, the lasting impact, and the unqualified love for tennis as Bud Collins. He was an outstanding journalist, an entertaining broadcaster, and as our historian he never let us forget or take for granted the rich history of our sport."[13]
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-671-20902-7.
- Collins, Bud; Rod Laver (1973). Rod Laver's Tennis Digest. Follett. ISBN 0-695-80387-5.
- ISBN 0-525-10115-2.
- Collins, Bud; ISBN 0-385-13093-7.
- Collins, Bud (1989). My Life with the Pros. E.P. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-24659-2.
- Collins, Bud; Zander Hollander (1994). Bud Collins' Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis. Gale Research. ISBN 0-8103-8988-6.
- Collins, Bud; Zander Hollander (1997). Bud Collins' Tennis Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1-57859-000-0.
- Collins, Bud; Zander Hollander (1998). Bud Collins' Tennis Encyclopedia. Gale. ISBN 1-57859-086-8.
- Collins, Bud (2003). Total Tennis: The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia. Sports Media Pub. ISBN 0-9731443-4-3.
- Collins, Bud (2008). History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopaedia and Record Book. New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-0942257700.
- Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). Detroit: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0942257700.
- Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0.
References
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ For Bud Collins, Tennis Is a Love Game A journalist now synonymous with the game is honored tonight, Boston University.
- ^ Jackson, Donald Dale. "Bald Facts from the Boston Hacker," Sports Illustrated, April 5, 1976 (article begins on page 40). Retrieved December 17, 2020
- ^ Bud Collins Speaking at BU Tonight
- ^ a b Shaughnessy, Dan (2016-03-05). "Beloved Collins wrote the book". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, Sports.
- ^ Michael Hiestand (July 5, 2007). "Collins will call final Wimbledon for NBC". USA Today.
- ^ Larry Stewart (July 9, 2007). "Collins makes exit from NBC". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Collins and reunited with Enberg on ESPN's tennis coverage". ESPN.com. August 7, 2007.
- ^ Bodo, Peter. "Bagel, Anyone?". Tennis.com. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ "Search Results". February 10, 1992.
- ^ Contemporary Collections Archived October 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "U.S. Open media center to be named in honor of Bud Collins". ESPN. August 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Whitmer, Michael (2016-03-05). "Loss mourned by tennis world". The Boston Globe. pp. 1, Sports.