Former sports columnist Mike Downey has died at 72, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.
Downey was well-known for his time writing the Tribune’s “In the Wake of the News” column from 2003-08, a role that became open when Skip Bayless left the newspaper to focus on a full-time television career.
In addition to the Tribune, Downey made stops at the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily News, Detroit Free Press, and Los Angeles Times throughout his long career. He was a versatile columnist, covering the news, sports, entertainment, and politics depending on what was needed at the time.
Paul Sullivan, one of Downey’s Tribune coworkers, wrote a touching tribute to his friend in which he called Downey “A one-of-a-kind writer and a legend of press boxes in multiple cities.”
Sullivan also noted that even after Downey’s retirement, the columnist remained active on Facebook, often chiming in on the day’s biggest stories, just like he did for so many years as a columnist.
A Chicago area native, Downey started his journalism career at the age of 16 with Star Publications before joining the Daily News before the newspaper’s closure in 1978.
Throughout his career, Downey won 11 National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Sportswriter of the Year Awards. Seven of the awards were won in California while two each came in Illinois and Michigan.
Downey is survived by his wife, Gail.