It’s been 50-plus years since the last story I wrote for The Miami Student (TMS) appeared in the Nov. 4, 1975, issue.
Yes, I’m old, but the memories and life lessons from my TMS days stick to this day. It’s a treasure chest I wouldn’t trade away for anything. Though I did not pursue journalism as a profession, my career as a psychologist has been deeply enriched by my Miami University and TMS experiences.
That final story was based on a one-hour interview I conducted with Bob Hope, one of the most renowned comedians and /entertainers of the 20th century. He was at Miami headlining a parents’ weekend show at Millett Hall. Unfortunately, the article turned out to be one of the worst I’ve ever written, but it did teach me some life lessons to be shared later, herein.
Reflecting on my TMS years is a magical dance down memory lane. The people interviewed, the travels, and the events covered as a TMS sportswriter and editor continue to sparkle within. I interviewing Hank Aaron the day after he tied Babe Ruth’s career home run record, witnessing Miami’s football team smash Georgia in the 1975 Tangerine Bowl, interviewing Miami basketball legend Phil Lumpkin during his NBA rookie season with Portland and interviewing the Harlem Globetrotters prior to an event Millett.
One of my favorite memories is sitting in the Cleveland Indians’ dugout interviewing MLB standout and Miami alum Buddy Bell. We met up after the game, and he introduced me to his dad, Gus Bell, a retired Cincinnati Reds legend. Perched on Gus’ shoulders was Buddy’s 1-year-old son, David. Kiddingly, I asked, “Am I looking at three generations of Major League Baseball players?” We broke into laughter, unaware that the tiny towhead would grow up to manage the Reds!
Those are wonderful memories permanently etched in my mind, but the best part of the TMS experience is relationships with the AMAZING staff. I’m blessed to have continued connection with many of them despite our being stretched out across the U.S. and beyond. I’m limited to 500-700 words for this piece, so I will just talk about Bobby Goldwater, Phil Coffin and Steve Doerschuk.
All three went on to distinguished careers in their chosen professions. Coffin retired as an editor with the New York Times and now writes sports-related books. Goldwater specializes in the sports and entertainment industry and continues to thrive in that endeavor to this day. Doerschuk continues a sportswriting career covering the Cleveland Browns and the National Football League.
Goldwater and Coffin were co-sports editors during my freshman and sophomore years. They contributed to my writing skills more than any teacher, professor, etc., scrupulously editing my stories, demanding changes despite my resistance and refusing approval to publish until I reworked my stories to their satisfaction.
Bobby and Phil kicked my immature, stubborn ass. Their efforts enabled a well-crafted doctoral dissertation, professional psychology writing competence and a prized opportunity to write sport psychology material for Psychology Today Magazine. Thank you, Phil and Bobby!
Doerschuk was my assistant sport editor during our shared TMS years. We forged a relationship that led to his requesting my assistance with covering the NFL. From around 2010 until the COVID epidemic, I conducted interviews with NFL players and other personnel. An extraordinary experience. Thank you, Steve!
Back to my messed-up Bob Hope article. Had I gone about it correctly, I could have produced a gemstone story. Instead, I totally screwed up due to a failure to take advantage of my Hope observations.
I’m sharing this to assist readers in learning that mistakes can lead to a flourish of growth if they keep an open, flexible mind. We all make thousands of mistakes throughout life, and we must discipline ourselves to effectively respond to those errors to enable improvement.
There’s not enough space to elaborate on exactly what happened. Suffice it to say that I wrote the Bob Hope story with a rigid, pre-conceived storyline idea and failed to incorporate what occurred right before me.
Remove those close-minded goggles and seek clarity by listening with wide-open eyes and ears as a journalist, psychologist, parent, friend, etc.
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