Former CBSSports.com writer and current Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel has won first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors 2014 contest in Column Writing, the APSE announced yesterday. His winning entries included a heart wrenching story about a homeless high school basketball player and the enduring pain of a college basketball player dealing with her boyfriend’s murder. Both are beautifully written pieces.
But also included in the winning entries? A piece about former Purdue coach Gene Keady’s comb-over. No, really.
Doyel even admits it was a bad idea:
Hey, why dance around it? It may be a terrible idea for a column, but it was a terrible idea for a hairdo.
It turns out, getting rid of the comb-over saved Keady’s life, because beneath the comb-over was a form of skin cancer.
A terrible idea for a column turned into one with a point (I think) and I’m sure pushed Doyel past his competition and into first place. I mean, people had been bothered by the comb-over for so long, yes? Why not address the elephant in the room?
If you’re wondering how these sorts of things are judged the APSE has your answer:
The Column Writing category is judged based on style, writing quality, originality and local appeal. There is no restriction on subject matter and no requirement that the column appears regularly.
The awards will be handed out in June in San Diego. According to the Star, Doyel has won six Top 10 awards since 2000.
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About Reva Friedel
Reva is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and the AP Party. She lives in Orange County and roots for zero California teams.