Jerome Field Magee (April 11, 1928 – January 2, 2019) was an American newspaper

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

. Magee was a sports writer in San Diego for 52 years, retiring from the ''

San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' in 2008. He began his career more than five decades earlier at the then-''

San Diego Union ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' and also wrote for ''

Pro Football Weekly ''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illin ...

''.

Biography

Magee, who was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, was raised in Nebraska. He graduated in 1950 from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. He served in the Army in Korea.

Career

His first job newspaper job was as a copyboy at the ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...

'', where one of his tasks was to mix flour and water into the paste used by copy readers. He joined the ''San Diego Union-Tribune'' in 1956. Magee was called "an

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

apologist" by his contemporaries who covered NFL football, adopting it himself and regularly quoting it. He took on what he has called the "NFL apologists," including William Wallace, sports columnist with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', and Jerry Green of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', in Magee's attempt to puncture what he called "NFL myths." Magee brought attention to the AFL's style of football, including writing about Will McDonough and his service on the American Football League

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

board of selectors. Magee wrote frequently about interviews he had with

superfan, archivist and historian Ange Coniglio. Upon Magee's retirement in September 2008, the ''Union-Tribune'' published a tribute article about Magee that was written by people he covered and worked with, including former

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

running back Hank Bauer.

Recognition

October 29, 2008 was proclaimed "Jerry Magee Day" by the

San Diego City Council The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of San Diego. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council is part of a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts as th ...

in recognition of his more than 50 years as "one of the region's top sports writers." In 1987, Magee was given the Dick McCann Memorial Award from the Professional Football Writers of America organization, which is handed out to reporters who have made "a long and distinguished contribution" to pro football through coverage.Pro Football Writers, "PFWA Announces Winners' (scroll down to previous winners)

References

External links

''San Diego Union-Tribune'' Staff articles by Jerry Magee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magee, Jerry Sportswriters from Illinois Writers from Chicago Military personnel from Illinois University of Nebraska alumni American Football League contributors Bill Nunn Memorial Award recipients 1928 births 2019 deaths Sportswriters from California Writers from San Diego