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Steve Rushin

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Steve Rushin
Steve Rushin, author
Steve Rushin, author
Born (1966-09-22) September 22, 1966 (age 58)
Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationJournalist, novelist
Alma materMarquette University
Notable worksRoad Swing (1998)

The Caddie Was A Reindeer (2004)
The Pint Man (2010)
The 34-Ton Bat (2013)

Sting Ray Afternoons: a Memoir (2017)
Spouse
​
(m. 2003)​
ChildrenSiobhan, Maeve, Thomas and Rose
Website
www.steverushin.com

Steve Rushin (born September 22, 1966) is an American journalist, sportswriter and novelist. He was named the 2005 National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association,[1] and is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award.[2]

Early life

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Rushin grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, the third in a family of five kids.[3] In 1954 Steve's father, Don, was a blocking back for Johnny Majors at the University of Tennessee. Steve's older brother, Jim, was a forward on the Providence hockey team that reached the Frozen Four in 1983.[4]

In Bloomington, Rushin watched baseball and football games at Metropolitan Stadium, where he sold hot dogs and soda to Twins and Vikings fans.[5]

He is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Senior High School in Bloomington, and Marquette University in Milwaukee.[6]

Career

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After reading a story by Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff on the annual Gus Macker three-on-three tournament in Michigan, Rushin struck up a correspondence with Wolff. He ended up writing an anthology of sports nicknames. From A-Train to Yogi, with Wolff and Chuck Wielgus.[4] He joined the staff of S.I. in 1988, two weeks after graduating from Marquette. Within three years, at age 25, he became the youngest Senior Writer on the SI staff.[citation needed] In 1991, he was shuffled back to the Twin Cities to cover hometown reaction to the North Stars' first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 10 years.[citation needed]

Three years later, Rushin spent four months writing an epic feature for S.I.'s 40th Anniversary issue. The story of his journey was divided into five parts, each exploring an essential aspect of sports in America.[7] One section was a lament for recently razed Metropolitan Stadium whose site became the Mall of America and housed more than 800 stores, making it the largest shopping center in the United States.[5] Rushin's essay – How We Got Here – spanned 24 pages and remains the longest-ever article published in a single issue of S.I. At the magazine, he filed stories from Java,[8] Greenland,[9] the India-Pakistan border[10] and other far- and near-flung locales. Rushin covered events like the World Series,[11] the World Cup[12] and Wimbledon.[13] He ate his way around America's ballparks[14] and once rode a dozen rollercoasters in a day.[15] His weekly column, Air & Space, ran from 1998 to 2007, and was often about sports.[3] He left S.I. in February, 2007,[16] returning in a contributing role in July 2010. He resumed his column - renamed "Rushin Lit" - on an occasional basis in October 2011.[17]

During his time away from S.I., Rushin became a contributor to Golf Digest and Time magazine, for which he wrote back-page essays.[18][19][20][21]

Rushin is the author of the billiards guide Pool Cool (1990),[22] the travelogue Road Swing: One Fan's Journey Into the Soul of America's Sports (1998),[23] the collection The Caddie Was a Reindeer (2004),[24] the novel The Pint Man (2010).[25] and the baseball historical The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects (2013).[26]

Rushin has written numerous essays for The New York Times with memoirist and former Sports Illustrated colleague Franz Lidz.[27][28][29] Three of them appear under the title Piscopo Agonistes in the 2000 collection Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor.[30]

Personal

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Rushin is married to college basketball analyst and former basketball player Rebecca Lobo.[31] Rushin and Lobo live with their four children in Connecticut.[32]

In May, 2007, Rushin was the Commencement Day speaker at Marquette, where he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters.[6]

His grandfather was baseball player Jimmy Boyle.[33]

Ball & Chain Podcast

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Rushin and Lobo host a weekly podcast called the Ball & Chain Podcast. They discuss current events, sports, and family life. They published the first episode on October 23, 2017.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Peers to honor Nantz, Rushin for sports coverage". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 25, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. ^ Flynn, Anne-Gerard (November 5, 2014). "Rebecca Lobo, Steve Rushin keynote speakers at Springfield College sports journalism program". The Republican. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "'Pint Man' Mirrors Life Of Author Steve Rushin And Wife Rebecca Lobo – Page 2 – Hartford Courant". Articles.courant.com. February 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Donald J. Barr (November 6, 1989). "From The Publisher – 11.06.89 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  5. ^ a b John Papanek (November 4, 1991). "From The Editor – 11.04.91 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Commencement Address by Steve Rushin | Marquette University". Marquette.edu. May 20, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  7. ^ Mark Mulvoy (August 16, 1994). "To Our Readers – 08.16.94 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 7, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  8. ^ Steve Rushin (July 22, 1996). "DEEP IN JAVA, THE DREAMS HAVE WINGS – 07.22.96 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  9. ^ Steve Rushin (May 17, 1999). "You think golf is an unforgiving game? Then try playing – 05.17.99 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  10. ^ Steve Rushin (July 22, 1996). "SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, THE SPORT HAS BELONGED TO – 07.22.96 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 20, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  11. ^ Steve Rushin (November 1, 1993). "After his dramatic home run gave the Blue Jays a second – 11.01.93 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  12. ^ Steve Rushin (June 22, 1998). "Among the many surprises in a lively first round of – 06.22.98 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  13. ^ Steve Rushin (July 15, 1996). "After a fortnight of upsets and constant rain turned – 07.15.96 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  14. ^ Steve Rushin (October 19, 1998). "For a year the author cruised the highways and byways of – 10.19.98 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  15. ^ Steve Rushin (August 9, 1999). "Corkscrews, death dives, knife-edge turns: A new – 08.09.99 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  16. ^ Greenstein, Teddy (February 22, 2007). "Rushin set pace in Air and Space". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  17. ^ "Steve Rushin Writer Archive". Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  18. ^ "Off the Deep End". TIME. July 26, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  19. ^ Rushin, Steve (August 2, 2007). "How Friends Make You Fat". TIME. Archived from the original on September 15, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  20. ^ Rushin, Steve (August 30, 2007). "The Waiting Game". TIME. Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  21. ^ Rushin, Steve (September 13, 2007). "Pen Pal". TIME. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  22. ^ Pool Cool : Rushin: Books. Pocket. 1990. ISBN 0671691384.
  23. ^ "Road Swing: Rushin: Books". Random House. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  24. ^ The Caddie Was A Reindeer: Rushin: Books. Atlantic Monthly Press. 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2011. steve rushin caddie was a.
  25. ^ "The Pint Man : Rushin: Books". Doubleday. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  26. ^ The 34-Ton Bat : Rushin: Books. Little, Brown. October 15, 2013. ISBN 978-0316200936.
  27. ^ We Know What You'll See Next Summer.., 11.15.98 - New York Times
  28. ^ Here A Comic Genius, There A Comic Genius, 01.30.00 - New York Times
  29. ^ How to Tell a Bad Movie From a Truly Bad Movie, 08.05.01 - New York Times
  30. ^ Times, Funny (2006). Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor (9781567318333): Michael J. Rosen: Books. ISBN 1567318339.
  31. ^ Rushin, Steve (April 21, 2003). "My Big Fat Sports Wedding". CNN. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  32. ^ "My, How He's Grown: Lobo, Rushin Have Warm Feeling Toward Yale DT". Hartford Courant. September 4, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  33. ^ ESPN (2010). Fathers & Daughters & Sports, Featuring Jim Craig, Chris Evert, Mike Golic, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Sally Jenkins, Steve Rushin, Bill Simmons, and Others. Ballantine Del Rey. ISBN 9780345522078.
  34. ^ Baker, Elizabeth (September 7, 2021). "Dream Team. Deny Gallagher reconnects…". Marquette University Stories. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
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