LIFE Newspapers
By Tim Egan
Yes, I had a "Byline" and I was a professional journalist. Even though I was a "Sportswriter" I was far from the Oscar Madison character from the Odd Couple. I once received a compliment from my Editor Jim O'Connell in writing on an annual review that said: "You dress better than the Randa's" - the owners of the newspaper publishing company.
As a Sportswriter I got to cover some fun games, but I also wrote some heartwarming human-interest stories. From a high school tennis player recovering from a car accident to a karate kicking Grandpa to a woman baseball player from a League Of Their Own; I got to write their stories.
For that effort, I was awarded the LIFE Newspaper Editorial Writer of the Year in 1991