RIP Kevin Tatum

Kevin A. Tatum, 64, of Voorhees, N.J., an Inquirer sportswriter for almost three decades, died Friday at Cooper University Hospital in Camden of throat cancer.

Before joining the Inquirer's sports staff, where he covered college teams, Mr. Tatum worked for several other newspapers, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the now-defunct Washington Star.

Tatum was one of the first African Americans to become an Inquirer sportswriter, and wrote more than 4,000 articles for the newspaper.

Mr. Tatum retired five years ago.

He was a versatile beat writer whose main game was hoops. He was a good guy and a pioneer.