| By Robert Weinstock
newspaper as a general assignment sports reporter in the summer of 1980 and became a full-time columnist in February 1990. The Chicago native graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1980, one year after coming to the Post as a summer intern.
He covered professional soccer and Howard University athletics (1980-1981), Georgetown University basketball (1981, 1985-1987), University of Maryland football (1981-1985) and basketball (1982-1984), the Baltimore Orioles (1985), national college football (1988), ACC and Big East basketball and the National Football League (1987-1990) before being named columnist. Wilbon has covered four Summer Olympics, two Winter Olympics, 12 Super Bowls, 14 NCAA Final Fours, 11 NBA Finals, and four World Series in his 19 years at the Post, in addition to offering commentary on the national issues of the day as they relate to sports.
He has won awards for stories and/or columns on legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and the late college basketball player Len Bias, among others. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. In 1994, he finished second in a national contest of sports columnists by Associated Press Sports Editors, and in 1995 he finished third. Wilbon has recently written columns about Takoma Academy basketball star Tamir Goodman, the late Wilt Chamberlain, and the late Walter Payton. |
Michael
Wilbon, a sports columnist for The Washington Post, joined the