Rick Telander is a very popular
sports columnist for the
Chicago Sun Times, forming a good one two punch with
Jay Mariotti, making the Sun Times
Chicago's best sports page. Author of 6 books, Rick Telander certainly has been around the block as a
columnist.
Telander grew up in Peoria, Illinois. He enrolled at Northwestern University, and was a pretty good cornerback for the Northwestern football team. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. Since he became a columnist, it would be logical to think his career as a Chief didnt last long.
Telander's credentials include having been a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and ESPN. Telander has also written columns for Men's Journal, Esquire, Playboy, Travel & Leisure, TV Guide, Outside, and many other magazines.
Telander joined the Chicago Sun Times in 1995, under the impression he was gonna be the lead columnist. But shortly after his hiring, new management took over the Sun Times, and they retained Jay Mariotti to be the head columnist. The two have not had a good relationship ever since. Most believe that they are best covering different events in different cities.
Books:
String Music (2002)- Story of a lonely 11 year old who became a ballboy for a Chicago Bulls championship team.
Heaven is a Playground (1995)- The sociology of inner-city basketball.
The Hundred Yard Lie (1995)- A book about the corruption of NCAA Football.
From Red Ink to Roses: the Turbulent Transformation of a Big Ten Program (1994) - The story of the quick success of the University of Wisconsin football and basketball teams after laying in the doldrums of college sports.*
The Dream Season: Northwestern's Miraculous 1995 March to the Rose Bowl (1996)- The story of the suprising 1995-96 Northwestern Wildcats football team.*
Joe Namath and the Other Guys (Date Unknown)- Funny biography of Namath's last, and most dismal, year in the National Football League.*
*: out of print
Sources:
www.ricktelander.com
www.suntimes.com
www.chireader.com