Following the unexpected passing of prominent sportswriter John Feinstein last month, efforts were made by a number of different conferences, including the Atlantic 10 and the ACC, to honor his legacy during their respective conference tournaments. And on Saturday, Feinstein was again honored ahead of the first of two Final Four games from the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Ahead of the opening game of the night at the Alamodome between the Auburn Tigers and the Florida Gators, Rob Dauster, the founder of Field of 68, posted a photo on X showing an empty seat left for Feinstein with a framed picture of him, a Final Four program, and his press credentials.
John Feinstein’s seat saved here on press row. pic.twitter.com/CNJlvptv8V
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) April 5, 2025
NCAA Director of Media Coordination David Worlock similarly provided a statement in a post on X about the gesture in Feinstein’s honor.
“We honor the late, great John Feinstein by leaving his seat empty tonight at the Final Four,” wrote Worlock.
We honor the late, great John Feinstein by leaving his seat empty tonight at the Final Four. https://t.co/bqwyJFi0GL
— David Worlock (@DavidWorlock) April 5, 2025
Feinstein covered numerous sports as a sportswriter at The Washington Post, writing 44 books throughout his life that pertained to several different sports, including baseball, football, basketball, tennis, and golf, among others.
But in the eyes of most, Feinstein’s first big break, and perhaps his best work in general, came in the world of college basketball through his work in writing “A Season on the Brink,” a book centered around a year-long deep dive into the 1985-86 Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team and head coach Bob Knight.
Predictably, several media members took notice of this gesture from the NCAA and applauded them for doing so.
“A touching tribute,” wrote Mike Waters of Syracuse.com.
A touching tribute. https://t.co/2YStZesbSa
— Mike Waters (@MikeWatersSYR) April 5, 2025
“Missed seeing him in San Antonio. Missed seeing Bill Walton. Missed seeing John Thompson,” wrote Justin Gaard of KFAN 100.3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
John Feinstein’s seat saved here on press row. pic.twitter.com/CNJlvptv8V
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) April 5, 2025
Clearly, Feinstein is missed by countless sports media personalities all across the country. And this only provides further proof that his legacy will live on far after his untimely passing.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.