John Feinstein was a sportswriter and commentator best known for his long tenure as a Washington Post columnist, as well as the author of such books as “A Season on the Brink,” which chronicles a year of the of Indiana University’s men’s basketball team and its volatile coach, Bobby Knight (1940–2023).
- Died: March 13, 2025 (Who else died on March 13?)
- Details of death: Died of natural causes in McLean, Virginia at the age of 69.
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John Feinstein’s legacy
Anyone who reads about sports in the United States has at some point likely absorbed something by Feinstein. A longtime columnist for the Washington Post and the author of 44 books – including sports landmarks like 1986’s “A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers” and the 1995 golf classic, “A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour” – Feinstein was a prolific writer, commentator, and sports storyteller.
He started writing about sports while attending Duke University, penning material for the school’s paper, The Chronicle. This led him to getting work with the Washington Post, which in turn helped him get access to Indiana University’s famous (and infamous) basketball coach, legend Bobby Knight. This access helped him write “A Season on the Brink,” a probing look at the volatile leader and his team, one so raw and unfiltered, Knight wouldn’t speak to Feinstein for years after the book’s publication. It was a bestseller that was adapted into a movie, a 2002 sports drama for TV by ESPN Films.
Feinstein was one of the era’s best known and most prolific sports writers. “A Good Walk Spoiled,” his book focusing on a year of golf’s PGA Tour, was also a hit and is now widely considered essential reading for golf fans. Other works of his include “Forever’s Team,” about the 1978 basketball team at Duke; “The First Coming,” exploring golfing great Tiger Woods, and “Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember,” about pitchers Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina.
Feinstein also wrote and co-wrote sports-related fiction, typically mysteries written for younger readers. Of the dozens of books he authored or co-authored, 23 were bestsellers, plus he contributed to the Post, Golf Digest, Sporting News and other publications. He also made frequent appearances on radio and television, offering commentary and analysis for a wide range of sports.
He was honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and, a year prior, was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
Notable quote
“I once told [an editor] I was going to kill him, and when my boss asked me if it was true, I said it was. He shrugged and said, ‘just checking.’” — as told to Shane Ryan of Golf Digest, 2025
Tributes to John Feinstein
Full obituary: The Washington Post
