First, John’s brother, Bob, shared the sad news with Gary Williams, a legendary former Maryland coach. They first met in 1978. Williams was coaching at American University, and Feinstein was a young basketball beat writer at the Washington Post.
Williams then called La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy. He felt bad calling on game day but knew Dunphy needed to know. Dunphy was organizing the Coaches vs. Cancer charity breakfast, and Feinstein was set to speak at this year’s event.
Dunphy took Williams’ call while getting ready for a game and thinking about his retirement. He was 76 and had announced his retirement. After talking to Williams, Dunphy called others he thought needed to know, including sportswriter Dick “Hoops” Weiss.
Weiss was at Madison Square Garden during a game. He got up to answer the call from Dunphy. Weiss and Feinstein became close friends, meeting at the 1977 NCAA Regionals.
“He was larger than life,” Weiss said, his laptop closed.
Feinstein, the renowned American sportswriter, died at 69. He filled 45 books, thousands of columns, and countless hours on radio and TV. His death sent waves of phone calls and remembrances across the sports world.
But he was too big to be captured in simple words.
“He was loved at the highest level and hated at the highest level,” Mike Krzyzewski said by phone. “He knew that, too, and he was OK with it. He was one of a kind.”
Feinstein was a mix of contradictions. He was too smart to be a sportswriter, his father thought. His father wanted him to go to Harvard. Instead, he went to Duke, joining the swim team after breaking an ankle.
After the ankle injury, he joined the school newspaper. This started his career in journalism. He worked at the Washington Post after graduation, starting as a night police reporter. His editor, Bob Woodward, saw his talent and became a mentor.
Feinstein covered courts in Prince George’s County next. Then, he moved to the Post sports department in 1979. He covered Maryland football and basketball.
John Feinstein was a giant in sportswriting. His opinions mattered most in college basketball, a very parochial sport.
“In my lifetime, he was the guy,” Jim Boeheim said Thursday. “Some people write stuff that’s opinionated, but have nothing behind it. He was opinionated about everything, but at least those opinions were rooted in something. He believed what he said, even if you disagreed with it.”
For a coach with 48 career NCAA Tournament wins and five Final Fours, Boeheim had a tough reputation. Feinstein criticized him, saying he was the worst NCAA Tournament coach in college basketball.
The worst.
Boeheim held a grudge for 47 years, just like a coach who runs the same defense. When they talked things out, Boeheim said, “C’mon, John. I can’t be the worst.” They became friends later.
Every coach of a certain age has a similar story. So do NCAA administrators and media members. John Feinstein was right, as John Akers said Thursday: “The man was an absolute force of nature. He was just so damn intimidating, even among his friends.”
Feinstein’s book, “A Season on the Brink,” was a big deal. It was about Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers in 1985-86. Feinstein was there for everything, showing the real side of the team and Knight.
The book was a hit, despite Knight’s anger. Knight was upset that Feinstein didn’t change his quotes. But the more Knight attacked the book, the more people wanted to read it.
“Season on the Brink” became one of the best-selling sports books ever.
Now, we see the book’s success in a new light. It’s the story behind it that matters.
Feinstein was just 30 when he wrote this masterpiece. He got close to Knight through Mike Krzyzewski. Krzyzewski and Feinstein were friends, thanks to their shared experiences.
“We were really close friends because he never treated me like somebody he was writing about,” Krzyzewski said. “I always thought he was brilliant. One of the great writers. Really smart. His ability to recall facts and events was incredible.”
That’s why Krzyzewski helped Feinstein get to Knight.
But Knight was furious when the book came out.
Even though they made up, Knight and Feinstein never fully reconciled. They met again in Hawaii, but it was too late.
“Season on the Brink” changed Feinstein’s career. It made him a famous writer, known for his smart and easy-to-read style. He wrote about sports, politics, and more, leaving a lasting impact.
But again, there are those contradictions. What was always unique about Feinstein’s career was his roots. He loved the Philadelphia Big 5 and worked as a quasi-Palestra beat writer. He also loved small school basketball, writing a book about a season in the Patriot League.
He covered schools like Bucknell and Holy Cross. These schools didn’t have athletic scholarships until 1998. He was a radio commentator for Navy football for years.
From afar, it was often hard not to wonder why.
Krzyzewski had a theory. Wildly successful, Feinstein might have struggled to show humility. So, he showed it through his actions.
“I’m not sure his critics recognized that he did that,” Krzyzewski said.
In his final season, Feinstein was calling games at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. He also taught journalism there.
His final column in the Washington Post ran Thursday morning. It was about Tom Izzo’s refusal to change.
“He called me the other night,” Izzo said by phone from Indianapolis on Thursday. “To be honest, I thought we were just bulls—ing. I didn’t even know he was writing a column. I just answered his call because I wanted to hear what he had to say.”
