{{Short description|American sportswriter}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}} {{Infobox writer | caption = Steve Rushin, author | image = Steve Rushin.jpeg | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|9|22}} | birth_place = Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S. | website = {{URL|http://www.steverushin.com/}} | notableworks = ''Road Swing (1998)''<br /> ''The Caddie Was A Reindeer (2004)''<br /> ''The Pint Man (2010)''<br /> ''The 34-Ton Bat (2013)''<br /> ''Sting Ray Afternoons: a Memoir (2017)'' | spouse = {{marriage|Rebecca Lobo|2003}} | children = Siobhan, Maeve, Thomas and Rose | occupation = Journalist, novelist | alma_mater = Marquette University }}
'''Steve Rushin''' (born September 22, 1966) is an American journalist, sportswriter and novelist. He was named the 2005 National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association,<ref>{{cite news|title=Peers to honor Nantz, Rushin for sports coverage|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=2305342|access-date=December 9, 2014|agency=Associated Press|work=ESPN.com|date=January 25, 2006}}</ref> and is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Flynn|first1=Anne-Gerard|title=Rebecca Lobo, Steve Rushin keynote speakers at Springfield College sports journalism program|url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/rebecca_lobo_steve_rushin_keyn.html|accessdate=December 9, 2014|work=The Republican|date=November 5, 2014}}</ref>
== Early life == Rushin grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, the third in a family of five kids.<ref name=hartcour>{{cite web |url=http://articles.courant.com/2010-02-26/features/hc-rushin.artfeb26_1_steve-rushin-real-life-cream/2 |title='Pint Man' Mirrors Life Of Author Steve Rushin And Wife Rebecca Lobo – Page 2 – Hartford Courant |publisher=Articles.courant.com |date=February 26, 2010 |accessdate=October 17, 2011 |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723133341/http://articles.courant.com/2010-02-26/features/hc-rushin.artfeb26_1_steve-rushin-real-life-cream/2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1954 Steve's father, Don, was a blocking back for Johnny Majors at the University of Tennessee. Steve's older brother, Jim, was a forward on the Providence hockey team that reached the Frozen Four in 1983.<ref name="HttpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAGindexhtm">{{cite magazine|author=Donald J. Barr |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069008/index.htm |title=From The Publisher – 11.06.89 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 19, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919203006/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069008/index.htm |date=November 6, 1989 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
In Bloomington, Rushin watched baseball and football games at Metropolitan Stadium, where he sold hot dogs and soda to Twins and Vikings fans.<ref name="HttpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAGindexhtm_a">{{cite magazine|author=John Papanek |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140311/index.htm |title=From The Editor – 11.04.91 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=November 4, 1991| url-status=dead | archive-date=September 17, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917070742/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140311/index.htm |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
He is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Senior High School in Bloomington, and Marquette University in Milwaukee.<ref name="Httpwwwmarquetteeduaboutspeakers_rushinshtml">{{cite web|url=http://www.marquette.edu/about/speakers_rushin.shtml |title=Commencement Address by Steve Rushin | Marquette University |publisher=Marquette.edu |date=May 20, 2007 |accessdate=October 17, 2011| url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304215919/http://www.marquette.edu/about/speakers_rushin.shtml | archive-date=March 4, 2011}}</ref>
== Career == After reading a story by ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Alexander Wolff on the annual Gus Macker three-on-three tournament in Michigan, Rushin struck up a correspondence with Wolff. He ended up writing an anthology of sports nicknames. ''From A-Train to Yogi'', with Wolff and Chuck Wielgus.<ref name="HttpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAGindexhtm" /> He joined the staff of ''S.I.'' in 1988, two weeks after graduating from Marquette. Within three years, at age 25, he became the youngest Senior Writer on the ''SI'' staff.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} In 1991, he was shuffled back to the Twin Cities to cover hometown reaction to the North Stars' first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in ten years.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
Three years later, Rushin spent four months writing an epic feature for ''S.I.'''s 40th Anniversary issue. The story of his journey was divided into five parts, each exploring an essential aspect of sports in America.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Mark Mulvoy|author-link=Mark Mulvoy |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005486/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207002621/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005486/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 7, 2009 |title=To Our Readers – 08.16.94 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=August 16, 1994 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> One section was a lament for recently razed Metropolitan Stadium whose site became the Mall of America and housed more than 800 stores, making it the largest shopping center in the United States.<ref name="HttpsportsillustratedcnncomvaultarticlemagazineMAGindexhtm_a" /> Rushin's essay – ''How We Got Here'' – spanned 24 pages and remains the longest-ever article published in a single issue of ''S.I.'' At the magazine, he filed stories from Java,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008425/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110908104001/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008425/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 8, 2011 |title=DEEP IN JAVA, THE DREAMS HAVE WINGS – 07.22.96 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=July 22, 1996 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> Greenland,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015933/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026103408/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015933/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 26, 2012 |title=You think golf is an unforgiving game? Then try playing – 05.17.99 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=May 17, 1999 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> the India-Pakistan border<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008434/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120041419/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008434/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 20, 2010 |title=SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, THE SPORT HAS BELONGED TO – 07.22.96 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=July 22, 1996 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> and other far- and near-flung locales. Rushin covered events like the World Series,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137924/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107100009/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137924/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 7, 2009 |title=After his dramatic home run gave the Blue Jays a second – 11.01.93 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=November 1, 1993 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> the World Cup<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1013166/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110908063103/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1013166/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 8, 2011 |title=Among the many surprises in a lively first round of – 06.22.98 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=June 22, 1998 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> and Wimbledon.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008375/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907063108/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008375/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 7, 2011 |title=After a fortnight of upsets and constant rain turned – 07.15.96 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=July 15, 1996 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> He ate his way around America's ballparks<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1014370/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921050139/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1014370/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 21, 2011 |title=For a year the author cruised the highways and byways of – 10.19.98 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=October 19, 1998 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> and once rode a dozen rollercoasters in a day.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve Rushin |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016556/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909172425/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016556/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 9, 2011 |title=Corkscrews, death dives, knife-edge turns: A new – 08.09.99 – SI Vault |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=August 9, 1999 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> His weekly column, ''Air & Space'', ran from 1998 to 2007, and was often about sports.<ref name=hartcour/> He left ''S.I.'' in February, 2007,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Greenstein|first1=Teddy|title=Rushin set pace in Air and Space|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/02/22/rushin-set-pace-in-air-and-space/|access-date=December 9, 2014|work=Chicago Tribune|date=February 22, 2007}}</ref> returning in a contributing role in July 2010. He resumed his column - renamed "Rushin Lit" - on an occasional basis in October 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Steve Rushin Writer Archive|url=https://www.si.com/author/steve-rushin|accessdate=December 9, 2014}}</ref>
During his time away from ''S.I.'', Rushin became a contributor to Golf Digest and Time magazine, for which he wrote back-page essays.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1647487,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307122319/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1647487,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 7, 2008 |title=Off the Deep End |magazine=TIME |date=July 26, 2007 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rushin |first=Steve |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1649321,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070915092330/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1649321,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 15, 2007 |title=How Friends Make You Fat |magazine=TIME |date=August 2, 2007 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rushin |first=Steve |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657807,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903142624/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657807,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 3, 2007 |title=The Waiting Game |magazine=TIME |date=August 30, 2007 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rushin |first=Steve |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1661681,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111182033/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1661681,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 11, 2007 |title=Pen Pal |magazine=TIME |date=September 13, 2007 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
Rushin is the author of the billiards guide ''Pool Cool'' (1990),<ref>{{cite book|title=Pool Cool : Rushin: Books |year=1990 |publisher=Pocket |isbn=0671691384 }}</ref> the travelogue ''Road Swing: One Fan's Journey Into the Soul of America's Sports'' (1998),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=steve+rushin+road+swing |title=Road Swing: Rushin: Books |publisher=Random House |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> the collection ''The Caddie Was a Reindeer'' (2004),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/caddiewasreindee00rush |url-access=registration |quote=steve rushin caddie was a. |title=The Caddie Was A Reindeer: Rushin: Books |year=2004 |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press|isbn=978-0-87113-878-1 |accessdate=October 17, 2011}}</ref> the novel ''The Pint Man'' (2010).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Pint-Man-Novel-Steve-Rushin/dp/B0064XLZ2Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382704544&sr=1-3&keywords=steve+rushin |title=The Pint Man : Rushin: Books |publisher=Doubleday |accessdate=October 17, 2013}}</ref> and the baseball historical ''The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects (2013)''.<ref>{{cite book|title=The 34-Ton Bat : Rushin: Books |date=October 15, 2013 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0316200936 }}</ref>
Rushin has written numerous essays for The New York Times with memoirist and former Sports Illustrated colleague Franz Lidz.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/15/movies/holiday-films-we-know-what-you-ll-see-next-summer.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm We Know What You'll See Next Summer..], 11.15.98 - ''New York Times''</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/30/arts/here-a-comic-genius-there-a-comic-genius.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Here A Comic Genius, There A Comic Genius], 01.30.00 - ''New York Times''</ref><ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E3DA1F3DF936A3575BC0A9679C8B63&pagewanted=all How to Tell a Bad Movie From a Truly Bad Movie], 08.05.01 - ''New York Times''</ref> Three of them appear under the title ''Piscopo Agonistes'' in the 2000 collection ''Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Times |first=Funny |title=Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor (9781567318333): Michael J. Rosen: Books |year=2006 |isbn=1567318339 }}</ref>
== Personal == Rushin is married to college basketball analyst and former basketball player Rebecca Lobo.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1028584/index.htm | work=CNN | title=My Big Fat Sports Wedding | last=Rushin | first=Steve |url-status=dead | archive-date=October 26, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026103218/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1028584/index.htm | date=April 21, 2003}}</ref> Rushin and Lobo live with their four children in Connecticut.<ref>{{cite web | title=My, How He's Grown: Lobo, Rushin Have Warm Feeling Toward Yale DT | website=Hartford Courant | date=September 4, 2015 | url=https://www.courant.com/sports/hc-jack-rushin-yale-0902-20150901-story.html | access-date=April 29, 2022}}</ref>
In May, 2007, Rushin was the Commencement Day speaker at Marquette, where he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters.<ref name="Httpwwwmarquetteeduaboutspeakers_rushinshtml" />
His grandfather was baseball player Jimmy Boyle.<ref>{{cite book |last=ESPN |author-link= |date=2010 |title=Fathers & Daughters & Sports, Featuring Jim Craig, Chris Evert, Mike Golic, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Sally Jenkins, Steve Rushin, Bill Simmons, and Others |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BcpvDwAAQBAJ&dq=jimmy+boyle+baseball&pg=PA62 |location= |publisher=Ballantine Del Rey |page= |isbn=9780345522078}}</ref>
== Ball & Chain Podcast == Rushin and Lobo host a weekly podcast called the ''Ball & Chain Podcast''. They discuss current events, sports, and family life. They published the first episode on October 23, 2017.<ref>{{cite web | last=Baker| first=Elizabeth| title=Dream Team. Deny Gallagher reconnects… | website=Marquette University Stories | date=September 7, 2021 | url=https://stories.marquette.edu/dream-team-b4f82bb5af9e | access-date=April 29, 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}<!--added above categories/infobox footers by script-assisted edit-->
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushin, Steve}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:People from Elmhurst, Illinois Category:People from Bloomington, Minnesota Category:Marquette University alumni Category:21st-century American novelists Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers Category:American male novelists Category:Journalists from Illinois Category:20th-century American male writers Category:21st-century American male writers Category:Novelists from Illinois Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:Sportswriters from Illinois Category:American sports podcasters