Obituary - Veteran U.S. sports reporter Jack Cavanaugh

Jack Cavanaugh, a veteran U.S. reporter and author, who covered many top sporting events for Reuters and other outlets during a career lasting many decades, has died in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, aged 99.

Cavanaugh died of complications following pneumonia on August 25th, his family said.

He worked as a staffer for Reuters in New York from 1971 to 1984 but continued to cover sports, especially tennis, as a freelancer after leaving.

In a long journalistic career, he also worked for UPI, ABC, CBS, Sports Illustrated and the New York Times as well as many other publications.

His family said he was proud to have met six presidents, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Harry Truman, as well as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.

He was best known as a sports reporter, covering the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and at least 15 boxing title bouts, including the 1971 “Fight of the Century” when Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali in New York.

Among the general news stories Jack covered while with Reuters in New York was the shooting of Beatle John Lennon outside his home in 1980.

As well as boxing and golf, Cavanaugh - himself a keen sportsman - was a devoted tennis reporter and his coverage included  the French Open in Paris as a stringer for Reuters.

He wrote a biography of prize fighter Gene Tunney in 2007, among several other books, and taught journalism at Columbia, Fairfield and Quinnipiac universities.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Margaret Rose McDonald, his son John, daughter Tara and three grandsons. ■