Legendary sportswriter Frank Deford passed away over Memorial Day weekend. For 55 years, his columns, coverage, and commentaries filled the pages of Sports Illustrated. I remember his being the voice of all things sports every week on NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Anyone who wanted to be a sportswriter has a favorite Frank Deford piece.
This one—from the September 15, 1980 issue of SI—should be a favorite for any U.Va. fan.
Deford navigates all the Virginia oddities that have made sports an oft-times odd fit in Charlottesville: the Honor System, the Gooch Report, institutionalized racism and misogyny, stringent academics, the party scene.