Legendary Sports Columnist Dies Suddenly: John Feinstein Was 68

The author of A Season on the Brink passed away today.

March 13, 2025, 7:29pm

SPRINGFIELD, MA – SEPTEMBER 7: John Feinstein winner of the Curt Gowdy print Media award addresses the guests at the Bunn-Gowdy Awards Dinner as part of the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on September 7, 2013 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Iconic sports columnist John Feinstein died at his brother’s home in McLean, Virginia on Thursday. He was 68.

He was best known for his book A Season on the Brink, which chronicled the 1895 season of the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team.

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Feinstein started his career as a night police reporter in 1977 but quickly worked his way up to becoming a sports columnist for the Washington Post. Most sports fans know him for his extensive coverage of college basketball, but he regularly covered everything from golf to the Olympics.

He was a prolific author, writing 48 books in his lifetime. A Season on the Brink made him a household name for its unprecedented style of writing, which went extremely in-depth on the Hoosiers’ basketball program and the private life of the legendarily controversial and short-tempered coach Bobby Knight. It was, at one point, the best-selling sports book of all time—staying at #1 on the New York Times best sellers list for 17 weeks—and was turned into ESPN’s first ever movie in 2002. He was also known for A Good Walk Spoiled, another #1 bestseller that detailed the PGA Tour season in 1994-95.

Feinstein was still working right up until his sudden death, with yet another book published last year (The Ancient Eight, about Ivy League football) and a column as recently as this morning on Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo for the Washington Post.

ESPN reported he passed away of natural causes. He is survived by his wife, his two daughters, and his son.