RIP Dan Jenkins

[Della9250]

 

[Slacker]

God, this one hurts. Best CFB writer ever, in my book.
Great on golf, too, and some of his books were dead solid perfect.

RIP to a guy who was a living legend for all of my own damn adulthood.

 

[Moderator1]

****. One of my heroes. He got a lot of love for Semi-Tough but Dead Solid Perfect was, well, Dead Solid Perfect

 

[Slacker]

 

[Slacker]

****. One of my heroes. He got a lot of love for Semi-Tough but Dead Solid Perfect was, well, Dead Solid Perfect

No, this one. The rollicking adventures
of a semi-tough sportswriter. Find it, read it.

 

[Moderator1]

Oh, I've read it.

 

[playthrough]

The greatest. Golf majors won’t be the same this year, or ever.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Damn. Damn.

 

[Slacker]

A wide-ranging discourse from 2005 ...

Knock on Dan Jenkins’ front door and you’re unexpectedly greeted by a kind, charming gentleman who belies the irascible, PC-bashing writer alter ego – an alter ego whose journalism has skewered the bland, clueless, dumb and under-performing sports figures for more than 50 years. In that span, the athletic climate has turned from blissfully innocent and genuine to increasingly cynical and jaded, giving Jenkins ample opportunity to expose the culprits.

At the risk of blowing his cover, Jenkins is everyone’s favorite Grandpa.

Yet, give him a keyboard and the words spew in blunt, honest rants pecking at all things sacrosanct in the sports landscape.

Raised in Fort Worth, Jenkins is a true media legend. He’s penned over 500 magazine articles for Sports Illustrated, Playboy and Golf Digest, and written 17 novels including “Semi-Tough,” “Dead Solid Perfect,” and the just-released “Slim and None.” His original writing style has inspired many current columnists and authors, and entertained fans for generations. Jenkins’ peers validated his breadth of work by voting him in the World and National Sportswriters Hall of Fame.

...

Jenkins has seen a lot during his writing career. Imagine watching Snead, Nelson, Hogan, Palmer and Player in their primes. Sprinkle in Super Bowls, college football championships and over five decades of majors, and you’ll quickly develop an appreciation for his rich life.

He was gracious enough to offer his opinions on a multitude of subjects and as usual, swung with full uppercuts.

https://myavidgolfer.com/strong-words/

 

[DanOregon]

Jenkins was one of those writers I'd read and say "Wait - you can do THAT as a sportswriter." Loved Semi-Tough, Loved Life Its Ownself (the sequel), loved the sarcasm the "why is everyone getting so worked up about this game" mentality that kept sports in perspective. Was he the first "funny" sportswriter? Probably the first one who made me laugh - and not at someone else's expense either.

I can't pick just one - or five - or 10.

Dan Jenkins Quotes - BrainyQuote

 

[matt_garth]

I kind of wish this was a little longer.

 

[HanSenSE]

Now I want to read this.

 

[Starman]

No, this one. The rollicking adventures
of a semi-tough sportswriter. Find it, read it.

And the prequel, set in the 1930s:

 

[Azrael]

oof

Tough one. A giant. One of the modern greats.

Also one of the inventors of the style most of us emulate to this day.

A colleague and a role model.

There will never be another like him.

Rest now.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Nothing I can add to the above tributes. Read him all my life. Was on the pinnacle of my personal mountain with Jim Murray, Red Smith and Larry Merchant. Still have the copy of "Saturday's America" his collection of college football pieces from the '60s, someone failed to return to a school library and I got at a yard sale decades ago.

 

[BTExpress]

Was he the first "funny" sportswriter?

Hard to classify. Does Ring Lardner count?

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Hard to classify. Does Ring Lardner count?

I think Lardner counts, as does his son John. Also of course Jim Murray, a contemporary of Jenkins.

 

[Azrael]

Lardners count.

But as the irreverent modern counterweight to the purple age of Granny Rice, et al., and as a defender against the bloat of postwar sports corporatism, Jenkins is first among equals.

 

[Azrael]

Worth noting here too that without Blackie Sherrod and André Laguerre, the Dan Jenkins we mourn today wouldn't really exist.

Behind every great writer is a great editor.

Waiting for copy.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Agree about Jenkins and his style. He was wonderful.

Definitely not modern, and you need to throw out any distinction between fiction and non-fiction, and he didn't only do sports, but with all of that said. ... I'd throw Damon Runyon into the "funny" conversation.