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Will McDonough

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William McDonough(July 6, 1935 – January 9, 2003) was an AmericansportswriterforThe Boston Globewho also worked as an on-air football reporter forCBSandNBC.[1]

Biography

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Newspaper career

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The youngest of nine children ofIrishimmigrants, McDonough grew up in working-classSouth Boston.[1]He attendedThe English High School,where he starred inbaseballas apitcherand infootballas aquarterback.While attending theNortheastern University School of Journalism,McDonough started at theBoston Globeas a co-op intern /copy boyin 1955 to cover school sports, and he was hired by theGlobefull-time after graduation in 1957.[2]

In 1960, after McDonough had been promoted to sportswriter, he was assigned as the beat reporter for theBoston Patriotsof the start-upAmerican Football Leagueand remained one of the country's premier football reporters until his retirement in 2001.[2]During his 40+ years writing career with theGlobe(interrupted only by a brief departure in 1973),[2]McDonough worked with other legendary Globe sportswriters such asPeter Gammons,Bob Ryan,andLeigh Montville.[3]Beginning in 1993, he was named an associate editor of theGlobe.[3]Montville has said of McDonough: "He was the scoop guy. He always said: 'I can write better than anyone who can write faster, and I can write faster than anyone who can write better.'"[4]

McDonough became a hero among Boston sportswriters after a1979altercation withPatriotscornerbackRaymond Clayborn,in which the 44-year-old McDonough leveled Clayborn in the locker room after the third-year cornerback had poked him in the eye.[5][6][7][8]However, McDonough's main fame was due to the number of "scoops" and exclusive stories that he broke while with theGlobe.[9][10]At the time of his death, NFL commissionerPaul Tagliabuecalled him the "most influential reporter covering the NFL."[1]

Controversy

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McDonough's co-workers and supporters referred to him as "Willie" and credited his ability to get such stories to his ability to "get anybody to the phone" and to parlay nuggets of information from his calls into bigger stories.[3][9]However, evenGlobemanagement admitted that he "rewarded his friends and slammed his enemies" in his columns.[2]His critics, meanwhile, said that he only "publishe[d] what's going to reinforce his sources, his friends, his contacts", referring to him as "a management stooge" and "Will theShill".[3][10]

Examples of this dichotomy marked his career. He regularly referred to superstar pitcherRoger Clemensas the "Texas Con Man" after Clemens' tenure with theBoston Red Sox;[11][12]his Boss es said that that was because he saw Clemens as a phony,[2]potentially supported by later allegations of steroid use directed at Clemens, while others claimed that he was defending his friendsJohn HarringtonandDan Duquette,who had stated that Clemens was in the "twilight of his career" in 1996—after which Clemens won four moreCy Young Awardsas the best pitcher in the League (1997–98, 2001, 2004).[13]McDonough also repeatedly referred to former Red Sox playerMo Vaughnas "Mo Money" after Vaughn turned down the Sox's contract offer before the 1998 season to become a free agent after the season.[2]He was accused of chauvinism when he questioned the presence of women in the locker room as well as the legitimacy of allegations by thenBoston HeraldsportswriterLisa Olsonagainst New England Patriots players in the team locker room in 1990; McDonough claimed he was vindicated two years later when otherGlobesportswriters acknowledged the presence of holes in Olson's credibility that were overlooked or ignored at the time, but others claimed that theGlobe's report showed that the overall atmosphere of sexual harassment was worse than Olson had alleged.[3]

One of McDonough's biggest scoops came during the week beforeSuper Bowl XXXIwhen he broke the story that Patriots' head coachBill Parcells,one of McDonough's best friends, was planning to leave the Patriots after the Super Bowl and become head coach of theNew York Jets.[10]The story was 100% correct but still generated controversy because of the contention by McDonough's detractors that Parcells' agent (who was also McDonough's agent) had planted the story at that time to maximize his negotiating leverage.[14]

Broadcasting

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In addition to newspaper reporting, McDonough was a pioneer among journalists who became broadcasters in the late 1970s and early 1980s while maintaining their newspaper positions.[2]He originally was hired byCBS,later moving toNBC.[2]His appearances included stints as part ofNBC'sNFL Livepregame show from 1991 to 1993. About his TV work, McDonough said, "I proved once and for all you don't have to be pretty to be on television."[2]For one season, he also served as an analyst forNew England Patriotspreseason games. In 1994, NBC was paying him about $400,000 a year to appear on the network.[3]

Personal life

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McDonough was married twice, fathering three children (Sean, Erin and Terry) with his first wife Wilma and two (Ryan and Cara) with his second wife Denise.[3][15]One of his three sons,Sean McDonough,is a sportscaster forESPNand is also a Boston Red Sox announcer. Another son, Terry McDonough, was vice president, Player Personnel for the NFL'sArizona Cardinals.His third son,Ryan McDonough,was the general manager of thePhoenix Suns.Each of the three has a championship ring in a different sport: Sean as an announcer for the2004 Boston Red Sox(baseball); Terry as a scout for the 2000Baltimore Ravens(football); and Ryan as a special assistant/video analyst for the 2008Boston Celtics(basketball).[15]

McDonough remained lifelong friends with two other prominent South Boston Irishmen: Massachusetts political leaderWilliam "Billy" Bulgerand his older brother, Boston organized crime BossJames "Whitey" Bulger.[3]He served as campaign manager for Billy's 1960 run for state representative, and he visited Whitey inLeavenworth Federal Penitentiaryin the 1960s while the Boston Red Sox were inKansas City.[3]In return, in 1993 Billy successfully lobbiedCablevisionto allow McDonough to provide commentary on the cable broadcast of the annualSt. Patrick's Daybreakfast hosted by Billy.[3]

Death

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McDonough died of aheart attackat his home inHinghamon January 9, 2003, at age 67.[1][2]According to an interview with his son Sean, McDonough had been suffering from heart problems and an autopsy determined that he had undiagnosedcardiac amyloidosis.[16]A research fund to cure cardiac amyloidosis was set up in his memory at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.[17]

Notes and references

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  1. ^abcdLavoie, Denise (January 11, 2003)."'Ultimate' sportswriter dies at 67 ".The Ledger.Lakeland, Florida. Associated Press. p. c3.
  2. ^abcdefghijTom Mulvoy and Bill Griffith (May 28, 2003)."Globe's McDonough dies at 67".Boston Globe.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  3. ^abcdefghijJurkowitz, Mark (January 22, 1994)."Jurassic Jock".Boston Phoenix.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  4. ^Ryen Russillo (August 12, 2021)."Stories From the 1969 Finals With Leigh Montville..."(Podcast). Event occurs at 25:45.
  5. ^Loss of a legendBoston Globe. Accessed October 20, 2007
  6. ^"Fight breaks out in locker roon".Lakeland Ledger.Florida. Associated Press. September 10, 1979. p. 3D.
  7. ^"They put up their dukes".St. Petersburg Independent.Florida. Associated Press. September 10, 1979. p. 5C.
  8. ^"Rozelle fines Patriots' Clayborn".The Ledger.Lakeland, Florida. Associated Press. October 3, 1979. p. 1D.
  9. ^abRyan, Bob (May 28, 2003)."At reporting, no one better".Boston Globe.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  10. ^abcGeorge, Bob (January 10, 2003)."Scoop Or Shill? That Was Will".PatsFans.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  11. ^[1]Boston Globe 10 - 28 - 2000
  12. ^[2]Boston Globe 11 - 03 - 2002
  13. ^Pugmire, Lance (January 29, 2008)."Twilight Revisited".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  14. ^Eskenaz, Gerald (January 21, 1997)."Parcells Rumors Hotter Than Bayou Cuisine".New York Times.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  15. ^abFedotin, Jeff (April 20, 2016)."Will McDonough's Uniquely Accomplished Three Sons".ThePostGame.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  16. ^"ESPN Commentator Sean McDonough"(Podcast).680 the Fan.Cellini & Dimino. August 30, 2024.RetrievedAugust 30,2024.
  17. ^Dupont, Kevin Paul (August 3, 2024)."Sean and Erin McDonough lead drive to eradicate the disease that took their father".Boston Globe.RetrievedAugust 30,2024.
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