John Feinstein, 1956-2025

We need more great writers, in sports and in every other sphere, not fewer. Today, we have one fewer.

John Feinstein -- no middle name -- was born on July 28, 1956 in Manhattan. But the family was based in Washington, D.C. His father, Martin, was the executive director of performing arts at the Kennedy Center, and general director of the Washington Opera. His mother, Bernice (Richman) Feinstein, was a music professor at George Washington University.

"He was a cuckoo head -- seriously," his brother, 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."

He was a champion swimmer in high school, and graduated from Duke University in 1977, having written about sports for the student newspaper, The Chronicle. At the time, the Duke basketball program had a very different image to what it has now: A preppy institution whose success -- including berths in what would now be called the NCAA Tournament's Final Four in 1963, 1964 and 1966, losing to UCLA in the 1964 Final -- seemed very distant.

But the season after he graduated, 1977-78, coached by Bill Foster, with future New Jersey Nets star Mike Gminski, would see them reach the Final again, losing to Kentucky. And he wrote a book about it, Forever's Team.

He said, "While I was in college, because I was an ex-jock, I hung out with a lot of basketball players, though Duke wasn't any good back then. I knew the inner workings most people didn't know. It gave me the idea that a book about what's really going on behind the scenes would be great."

The Washington Post hired him to cover the football and basketball teams at the nearby University of Maryland. Until 2013, that school was still in the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with its arch-rival, the University of Virginia; and most of the big schools in North Carolina, including Duke, the University of North Carolina, and North Carolina State.

And the 1980s would be a golden age for the ACC, with coaches like Dean Smith of UNC, Jim Valvano of N.C. State, Lefty Driesell of Maryland, and, starting with a Final Four run in 1986, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke; and players such as UNC's James Worthy and Michael Jordan, Duke's Johnny Dawkins, Georgia Tech's John Salley and Mark Price, and Maryland's ill-fated Len Bias.

Michael Wilbon, a Chicago native who went on to co-host ESPN's Pardon the Interruption with fellow Post columnist Tony Kornheiser, recalled joining the paper and roughly the same time, and bonding with Feinstein over their shared passions of ACC basketball and golf. Wilbon said, "He could be the most charming guy in the room and the guy you want to throw out the room, but he was always a compelling figure."

But it would be Bob Knight, the head coach at Indiana University, in the Big Ten Conference, that would provide Feinstein with his greatest fame. Feinstein followed IU during the 1985-86 season, and titled his book about them A Season On the Brink. It was a best-seller. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic called it "the best sports book I've ever read."

Knight was unhappy about the book -- not because it made him look like a lunatic, but because it exposed how much profanity he used. Nevertheless, he appreciated that it showed that he ran a clean program. The next season, a few months after the book came out, Knight coached Indiana to the National Championship for the 3rd time.

Being in D.C., not far from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, got him access to write A Civil War: Army vs. Navy, about college football's most honorable rivalry, covering both teams in the 1995 season.

His location also allowed him access to another D.C. resident, Arnold "Red" Auerbach: The Brooklyn native went to D.C.'s George Washington University, and, despite all his success running the Boston Celtics, never left Washington as his primary residence. This proximity, and Auerbach's willingness to invite him to his weekly big lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, allowed Feinstein to interview him for the book Let Me Tell You a Story, published in 2004.

His non-fiction books also included: A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour, a title taken from Mark Twain's comment about golf, published in 1996; and Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember: A look at the seasons of two veteran pitchers then in New York, Mike Mussina of the Yankees and former Atlanta Braves ace Tom Glavine of the Mets, in the 2007 season. He also wrote fiction, including stories for teenagers and mystery novels.

Esther Newberg, his former agent, said in an interview that his work took a physical toll on him: "He had gout and diabetes. He hated to fly, and would drive to places like the Final Four from D.C. if it were in Indianapolis, which didn't help his bad eating habits. But he was a reporter on deadline. He couldn't help himself."

Feinstein died at his brother Robert's home in the D.C. suburb of McLean, Virginia today, March 13, 2025, at the age of 68. He was married twice, to Mary Givens, which ended in divorce; and to Christine Bausch. In addition to Robert and Christine, he was survived by a sister, Margaret; his children with Mary, son Danny and daughter Mary; and Jane, his daughter with Christine.

Michael Wilbon: "It's sad and poetic that John died at the gateway to March Madness, and the first day of The Players, since covering golf was his other great obsession."

J.A. Adande, Los Angeles Times: "Simply knowing John Feinstein made me a better college basketball reporter. That’s how good he was."

David Zirin, sports editor of The Nation: "This is hard. John Feinstein was so kind to me over the years in this crap business, sharing contacts, expecting nothing in return. That was always so heady for me because Season on the Brink was what made me want to be a sportswriter as a kid. And I still have my now dog eared copy. Rest in Peace."

Joe Posnanski, author of several sports books: "Enjoyed every minutes I got to spend with him. A titan in our business."

Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated: "the greatest college basketball author of them all -- one who bent for no one."

Luke Russert, formerly of NBC News, like his father Tim before him: "DC legend and terrific writer. Always kind to young folks. Never matter his success, he lived in the trenches. Saw him at some of the most obscure basketball games plugging away. God speed."