Jerome Frederic Green (April 15, 1928 – March 23, 2023) was an American sports journalist and author.[1] He was a staff writer for the Associated Press from 1956 to 1963 and for The Detroit News from 1963 to 2004. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He is the only sportswriter to have covered each of the first 56 Super Bowls, from 1967 to 2022.[2][3][4]

Jerry Green
Born
Jerome Frederic Green

(1928-04-15)April 15, 1928
DiedMarch 23, 2023(2023-03-23) (aged 94)
Alma mater
OccupationSportswriter
Years active1952–2023
SpouseNancy (died 2002)
Children1

Reporter

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Green began his reporting career in New York in 1952, at the New York Journal-American, before enlisting in the United States Navy the following year.[5] Upon his return, he was a sports writer for the Associated Press from 1956 to 1963, when he was hired by The Detroit News. He was a staff sports writer for The Detroit News for 41 years from 1963 until his retirement in 2004. He covered baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and other sports for the paper. Having also covered the 1957 Detroit Lions as a young reporter with the Associated Press, Green lays claim to being "the last surviving Detroit sportswriter who covered the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons and Lions championships".[6]

Even after his retirement from regular reporting, Green remained with the paper as a columnist. He was noted for his coverage of the Super Bowl, as the only sportswriter to cover every Super Bowl from Super Bowl I in 1967 through Super Bowl LVI in 2022.[6][7][8]

Green did not attend Super Bowl LVII in 2023, due to poor health caused by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, among other ailments.[9][10] However, he continued to write until shortly before his death the following month.[5][9]

Author

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Green published several books, including histories of the Super Bowl,[11] the Detroit Lions,[12] the Detroit Pistons,[13] and Michigan Wolverines football,[14] as well as single-season books on the 1968 Detroit Tigers World Series championship team[15] and the 1998 Denver Broncos Super Bowl championship team.[16] Green's books include:

  • "Year of the Tiger: The Diary of Detroit's World Champions," Jerry Green (Coward-McCann, 1969). ISBN 9781469178165
  • "Detroit Lions," Jerry Green (Macmillan, 1973)
  • "The Detroit Pistons: Capturing a Remarkable Era," Jerry Green (Bonus Books, 1991)
  • "Super Bowl Chronicles: A Sportswriter Reflects on the First 30 Years of America's Game," Jerry Green (Masters Press, 1995)
  • "Greatest Moments in Detroit Red Wings history," Joe Falls, Jerry Green, Vartan Kupelian (Masters Press, 1997)
  • "Mile High Miracle: Elway and the Broncos, Super Bowl Champions at Last," Jerry Green (Masters Press, 1999)
  • "They Earned Their Stripes: The Detroit Tigers' All-Time Team," Detroit News (Sports Publishing LLC, 2001)
  • "University of Michigan Football Vault: The History of the Wolverines," Jerry Green (Whitman Pub Llc, 2008)

Personal life

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Green was born in Manhattan.[9] He was educated at the Hotchkiss School, Brown University, and Boston University.[5] He was married to his wife, Nancy, until her death in 2002; they had a daughter.[5]

After living in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, for years, Green moved to an assisted living facility in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, at the end of his life.[5][9] He died on March 23, 2023, at the age of 94.[5]

Awards

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During his career with The Detroit News, Green was voted Michigan's Sportswriter of the Year 10 times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.[6] He was inducted into the "writer's wing" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 as the recipient of the Dick McCann Memorial Award.[17][18] He was also inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2003,[19] and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[20] Green was awarded a Lifetime Member Award by the Detroit Sports Media.[21]

Selected articles by Green

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Muskovitz, Alan (March 21, 2022). "The Dean of Super Bowls: Catching Up With Legendary Sportswriter Jerry Green". thejewishnews.com. The Jewish News. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  2. ^ Shea, Bill. "Jerry Green: A Super Bowl pressbox institution still going at age 90". crainsdetroit.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  3. ^ Green, Jerry. "Jerry Green: For 54th Super Bowl, I'm last man standing". detroitnews.com. The Detroit News. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Shea, Bill (February 10, 2023). "The man who covered every Super Bowl: Jerry Green and the end of an epic run". The Athletic. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Paul, Tony (March 24, 2023). "Iconic Detroit News columnist Jerry Green, last to cover every Super Bowl, has died at age 94". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Jerry Green, Sports Writer and Columnist". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010.
  7. ^ Jerry Greene (February 6, 2011). "Brunch: How violent will Super Bowl be?". ESPN.com.
  8. ^ Chet Fussman (February 1, 2005). "They've Seen Them All: Jerry Green". The Florida Times-Union.
  9. ^ a b c d Shea, Bill (March 24, 2023). "Jerry Green, iconic Detroit sportswriter who covered 56 Super Bowls, dies at 94". The Athletic. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  10. ^ "Reporter Jerry Green's run of covering every Super Bowl to end". ESPN. ESPN. Inc. January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Jerry Green (1995). "Super Bowl Chronicles: A Sportswriter Reflects on the First 30 Years of America's Game". Masters Press. ISBN 1-57028-050-9.
  12. ^ Jerry Green (1973). "Detroit Lions". Macmillan.
  13. ^ Jerry Green (1991). The Detroit Pistons: Capturing a Remarkable Era. Bonus Books. ISBN 0-929387-57-0.
  14. ^ Jerry Green (2008). University of Michigan Football Vault: The History of the Wolverines. Whitman Pub Llc. ISBN 978-0-7948-2299-6.
  15. ^ Jerry Green (1969). Year of the Tiger: The Diary of Detroit's World Champions. Coward-McCann.
  16. ^ Jerry Green (1999). Mile High Miracle: Elway and the Broncos, Super Bowl Champions at Last. Masters Press. ISBN 1-57028-210-2.
  17. ^ "Pro football shrine gets a new class". The Detroit News. August 7, 2005.
  18. ^ "Hall enshrinement caps Green's career". The Detroit News. August 5, 2005.
  19. ^ "Inductees". Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008.
  20. ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees". Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011.
  21. ^ "Green, Martin, Quiñones, Ward and Whitaker Honored as SPJ Fellows". June 8, 2022.