Legend Bob Ryan Saying Good-Bye to the Boston Globe, But Will Say Hello to Williamstown
August 12, 2012 might not be the kind of day that folks say, “Where were you when Bob Ryan wrote his last article for the Boston Globe,” but it will be noted among the best sportswriters working now and those seeking to make a name in the business as a seminal moment for the Boston Globe.
44 years at the same paper!
Bob Ryan has received every honor known in the world of sports writing. Ryan was a pro’s pro who wrote from the heart.
In 2005 Bob Ryan came to Williams to present the Frank Deford Award. He stunned the crowd when he announced that he could not believe he had agreed to come and speak at the one college he always wanted to go to, but had been rejected.
Ryan went on to say that he was even more surprised when his son Keith, who was “twice as smart as I ever was”, was also rejected by Williams. He then explained that he had come to honor Frank Deford and a school that kept academics and athletics in balance.
Two years ago in the football press box at Amherst College Ryan introduced a grandson (Connor or John?), who was one of Keith’s sons, and maybe in double digits in age, to one and all. When asked whom he was rooting for the grandson said, “I’m going to Williams to break the curse.”
Well worth the read is Ryan’s farewell article in today’s Boston Globe. Note that he singles out the great Jackie MacMullen for praise. MacMullen presented the 2007 Frank Deford Award.
Ryan’s Boston Globe farewell column.
You can expect to see Bob Ryan at a Williams-Amherst game or a NESCAC Tournament contest in Williamstown in the near future and for years to come. Watching top-flight athletic competition involving student-athletes who are not pursuing professional sports careers ahead of their academic interests, which epitomizes the Williams-Amherst rivalry and NESCAC play quickly captivated Ryan.