John Feinstein dies at 69: Legendary sportswriter penned 23 bestsellers, including 'A Season on the Brink'

Award-winning sportswriter, broadcaster and author John Feinstein died Thursday at his brother Robert Feinstein's home in McLean, Virginia, his family announced. He was 69 years old.

Feinstein was a columnist for the Washington Post, where he worked up until the day before his death. His final column on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was published Wednesday. He also wrote articles for Golf Digest and the Sporting News, among others.

He wrote books on baseball, football, tennis, golf and the Olympics, but was a seismic force in the college basketball space. Feinstein also penned bestsellers such as "A Season Inside," which provided an in-depth look at the 1987-88 college basketball season; "Five Banners: Inside the Duke Basketball Dynasty," chronicling coach Mike Krzyzewski' illustrious career with the Blue Devils; and "Foul Trouble," a look at the recruiting landscape and back-room deals involved in college basketball, among others.

His first book -- 1986's "A Season on the Brink" -- is perhaps his most famous work. It provided a behind-the-scenes look at embattled Indiana's basketball coach Bob Knight. The book spent 17 weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list, was lauded by critics and later turned into a movie starring Brian Dennehy.

Feinstein also worked in broadcasting. He hosted a show on CBS Sports Radio and made frequent appearances on SiriusXM, NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel.

"I can't think of anything better on a winter night than to be in a college gym where the place is rocking, the fans are really into it because every game is important, and everybody is really intense about what's going on on the court," Feinstein said in an NPR interview in 1988.

Feinstein loved basketball, but enjoyed telling a good story above all else.

"I think the very best [sportswriters] can explain that the good side of college basketball is more than just a game," he said in the NPR interview. "When you see people like Steve Kerr, who comes back from the assassination of his father when he was a freshman -- to rebound from that and become a folk hero in the state of Indiana. Or when you spend a night at The Palestra, and the place just reeks of history. ... The writers who really love the game and who understand the game, and who most importantly understand the people in the game, are the ones who add that extra dimension to their writing."

Feinstein was honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, given to outstanding writers and broadcasters. He was also enshrined into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.

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