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Bud Collins | |
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 Collins in May 2008 | |
| Born | Arthur Worth Collins Jr. (1929-06-17)June 17, 1929 Lima, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 2016(2016-03-04) (aged 86) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Sportscolumnist TV commentator |
Arthur Worth "Bud"Collins Jr. (June 17, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an Americanjournalist and televisionsportscaster, best known for histennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen.
Collins was born on June 17, 1929, inLima, Ohio, and was raised in theCleveland suburb ofBerea, Ohio,[1] where he graduated fromBerea High School in 1947. Collins graduated fromBaldwin-Wallace College, where he was a member of theAlpha Tau Omega fraternity. After hisU.S. Army service, Collins attended graduate school atBoston University. He drove the 700 miles from Lima to Boston with "The mission: convince Boston University to let him study journalism. The promise: if accepted, he would be an excellent student." However, Collins did not graduate from theCollege of Communications until 2009.[2]
From 1959 to 1963, Collins served as tennis coach atBrandeis University, where one of his players was future political activistAbbie Hoffman. Collins said about Hoffman: "We didn't like each other, but he was a good competitor. He also had a better car than I did."[3] At the time of Collins' death in 2016, the 1959 team was the only undefeated tennis team in Brandeis history.
Collins began writing for theBoston Herald as a sportswriter while a student at Boston University. In 1963, he moved toThe Boston Globe and began providing tennis commentary forBoston'sPublic Broadcasting Service outletWGBH.[4] From 1968 to 1972, he worked forCBS Sports during its coverage of theUS Open tournament, moving toNBC Sports in 1972 in time for itsWimbledon coverage. He also teamed withDonald Dell to call tennis matches for PBS television from 1974 to 1977.
Collins covered numerous sports, athletes and teams forThe Boston Globe, including theBoston Red Sox during their"Impossible Dream" 1967 season.[5]
During Collins' years withThe Boston Globe, he was a general and political columnist and also wrote for the paper's travel section. In 1967, he became a candidate for the office of mayor of Boston.
During the2007 Wimbledon tournament, Collins announced that NBC had declined to renew his contract after 35 years with the network.[6] He said that he did not plan to retire and would continue to cover tennis forThe Boston Globe.[7] FellowBoston Globe sportswriterBob Ryan ridiculed NBC's decision on ESPN'sThe Sports Reporters. Ryan said that the 78-year-old Collins "still has his fastball" and praised theBostonGlobe for retaining Collins.[citation needed]
Collins was hired byESPN on August 7, 2007. He teamed with former NBC partnerDick Enberg on thenetwork's Wimbledon, US Open,French Open andAustralian Open coverage.[8] He also covered the US Open forXM Satellite Radio.
In 1999, Collins received theRed Smith Award, the nation's most prestigious sportswriting honor, awarded byAssociated Press Sports Editors.
Collins was inducted in theNational Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
Collins is credited with popularizing the term 'Bagel', referring to a set in tennis that ends with a score of 6–0, after it was coined byHarold Solomon.[9]
Although Collins described himself as a "hacker," he was an accomplished tennis player. He won the U.S. indoor mixed-doubles championship (withJanet Hopps) in 1961, and was a finalist in the French senior doubles (withJack Crawford) in 1975.
Collins authored several books, includingThe Education of a Tennis Player (withRod Laver, 1971),Evonne! On the Move (withEvonne Goolagong Cawley, 1974) and a memoir,My Life With the Pros (1989). He also produced several tennis encyclopedias, includingThe Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis, theBud Collins Tennis Encyclopedia andTotal Tennis.
In 1992, Collins hosted the 116th annualWestminster Kennel Club Dog Show on theUSA Network.[10]
In 1994, Collins was elected to theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame.
Collins' trademark unusual bowties and pants were custom-made from unique fabrics that he collected during his travels. According to Collins' website, all of his pants were fashioned by tailor Charlie Davidson at the Andover Shop inCambridge, Massachusetts. In 2006, he made a cameo appearance as himself in the episode "Spellingg Bee" for the television showPsych.
His papers and manuscripts are housed currently at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center atBoston University.[11] In September 2015, in recognition of his years of service to tennis, the media center at the US Open Tennis Center was named the Bud Collins Media Center.[12]
Collins died on March 4, 2016, at age 86 in his home inBrookline, Massachusetts.[13]
On the news of his death, fellow journalists praised Collins.Boston Globe columnistDan Shaughnessy wrote: "If you ever met Bud, you know he was brilliant, clever, generous, funny, knowledgeable, and irreverent. If you never met Bud...I am so sorry. You missed out."[5]USA Today columnistChristine Brennan, who had covered numerous tennis events with Collins, said: "He loved events, he loved people, he just loved everything. There wasn't a better journalist, there wasn't a nicer guy, and there wasn't a better friend than Bud Collins."[13]
Many in the tennis world spoke of Collins' impact on the game.John McEnroe said: "He was certainly a character, and in a sport like ours, it's pretty evident that we need more of those these days. He was someone who loved tennis, lived and breathed it, and we don't have enough of those people, either."[13]Billie Jean King remarked: "Few people have had the historical significance, the lasting impact, and the unqualified love for tennis as Bud Collins. He was an outstanding journalist, an entertaining broadcaster, and as our historian he never let us forget or take for granted the rich history of our sport."[13]
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