By: Denise Lavoie, Associated Press Writer (AP) Will McDonough, a sports writer and columnist who worked for
The Boston Globe for more than 40 years, died at 67.
McDonough died late Thursday at his home in Hingham while watching sports news on TV, said Don Skwar, the
Globe's sports editor.
Skwar said the cause of death had not yet been determined. McDonough had a heart attack in 1990 and battled thyroid cancer in the late 1990s.
McDonough retired from the newspaper two years ago but continued to write a weekly column for the
Globe.
McDonough wrote about the NFL for more than 30 years and had covered every Super Bowl since the championship game began nearly four decades ago.
He was known for his confrontational and opinionated style and frequently railed about the large salaries paid to pro athletes and the effect of big money on sports.
In recent weeks, McDonough criticized Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who lives in California, for not being in Boston enough, calling him "the invisible director of baseball." Lucchino shot back, saying McDonough should stick to covering football.
McDonough did some work for CBS and NBC through the years, winning an Emmy along with co-hosts O.J. Simpson and Bob Costas.
McDonough started at the
Globe as an intern through a Northeastern University program, calling it the "luckiest break I ever got in my life." Early in his career, he was a beat writer, covering the Red Sox and Celtics.
McDonough was born on July 6, 1935, the youngest of nine children of Irish immigrants. He grew up in the working-class neighborhood of South Boston.
One of McDonough's sons, Sean, is a national sports commentator and play-by-play announcer. Another son, Terry, is a scout for the Baltimore Ravens and has been in the NFL for 13 years.
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