Bud Collins was such a character that if he wasn’t real, someone would have to create him. And that creation would probably not even come close to the real man. Collins died Friday at the age of 86 having lived a robust life as a journalist. He was best known for covering tennis for the Boston Globe and various television outlets, NBC being his longest electronic employer, but he was more than just tennis.
Before becoming one of the utmost authorities in tennis having written his tremendous tome, the widely-read and much-loved “Bud Collins’ Tennis Encyclopeia,” he covered the 1967 Boston Red Sox Impossible Dream American League Championship as well as following Muhammad Ali early in his career.
But tennis became Collins’ bread-and-butter and if there was a tournament being played somewhere in the world, Bud would be there. He traveled so much, he also wrote for the Boston Globe’s Travel section, recommending the best places to visit.
He was one of the first sportswriters to make the transition from newspapers to television. And he was part of a Boston Globe staff that included Will McDonough, Peter Gammons, Lesley Visser, Bob Ryan and others who would also make the turn to TV.
Collins was such a respected tennis expert, he once worked for both CBS and NBC, working the U.S. Open on CBS and Wimbledon on NBC. Eventually, he stayed with NBC for 35 years filling several roles including play-by-play, analyst, interviewer and essayist. When he left NBC, he went to ESPN and Tennis Channel where he continued to cover the grand slams.
Some of the on-air partners Bud amassed over the years read like a broadcasting and tennis Hall of Fame. They include Jack Kramer, Jim Simpson, Dick Enberg, Ted Robinson, Donald Dell, Bjorn Borg, Billie Jean King, Joanne Russell, Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Mary Carillo and so many others.
In addition to working on CBS and NBC, Collins called tennis on PBS (yes, it actually aired sports in the 1970’s) and HBO. He also hosted the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on USA Network in the early 1990’s.
Love for Collins has been pouring in since news broke of his death on Friday. Mary Carillo gave this remembrance of Collins to Courtney Nguyen of WTATennis.com:
Always accommodating, there wasn’t an interview he would turn down or the opportunity to help a fellow reporter or the chance to take a moment with young writers who would ask him advice on how to break into the business. Whether it was in London, Paris, New York, Newport, RI or his home in Boston, Bud would take the time.
There were also the nicknames he gave to players, Steffi Graf was “Fraulein Forehand,” Bjorn Borg was the “Angelic Assassin,” the left-handed John McEnroe was named “Captain Hook,” Roger Federer was called “The Swiss Who Can’t Miss” among his many monikers bestowed by Bud.
NBC and Tennis Channel’s president Ken Solomon have issued statements on Collins’ passing:
“A legend and a gentleman with a unique style, Bud’s analysis and on-court interviews were must-see TV for millions of American tennis fans. In more than three decades with NBC Sports, he was a beloved colleague and friend. We offer our condolences to his family and friends.”
______________________________________________________________________________________
“With the rest of our industry and tennis fans everywhere, we at Tennis Channel are saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Bud Collins, the game’s most passionate, pioneering voice, and the gentleman who introduced this great sport to so many over the decades. Our network, televised tennis and sports coverage in general owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Bud’s effortless blending of traditional newsprint storytelling with a then nascent television medium as it gained ever increasing importance on the American cultural landscape. In doing so he elevated tennis to a previously unimaginable plane of awareness and enjoyment for fans the world over.
“Tennis Channel was blessed to have benefited from his professional expertise on our air and online, but even more fortunate to know his kindness, friendship and generosity of spirit. Our hearts and thoughts are with his wife Anita and their family and friends. Bud will be sorely missed, but his humanity and mountainous achievements remains with us, always.”
Collins was honored last year by the U.S. Tennis Association by naming the U.S. Open media center in New York in his name. He was a giant in tennis known by players, fans and fellow journalists around the globe. He will be missed.
