Mike Downey (born August 9, 1951 in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and raised in the nearby village of

Steger, Illinois Steger is a village that straddles the border which separates Cook County and Will County, Illinois (Steger Road is the border line). It is south of Chicago and had a population of 9,584 at the 2020 census. History S ...

) is a retired American newspaper columnist. From 2003 to 2008, Downey wrote the "In the Wake of the News" column for the '' Chicago Tribune'' originated by Ring Lardner in 1913, replacing Skip Bayless in that position at the Tribune. He has also been a columnist in news, entertainment and sports for the '' Los Angeles Times'', '' Detroit Free Press'', '' Chicago Sun-Times'' and '' Chicago Daily News''. In retirement, he has written book reviews for the Times and columns for CNN.com. Downey began a career in journalism at age 15 for a newspaper chain in the south suburbs of Chicago and graduated at 16 from

Bloom Township High School Bloom High School is a public school in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is part of Bloom Township High School District 206. The school was founded in 1900. A second Chicago Heights high school, Bloom Trail, was established in 1976 to offset overc ...

in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He did not attend college. He has been a police reporter, entertainment writer, editor, critic and columnist and has covered national political conventions, murder trials and twelve Olympic Games. Among his assignments have been an

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

yacht race in Australia, tennis at Wimbledon, British Open golf in Scotland, the Tour de France bicycle race, Stanley Cup hockey finals in Montreal and World Cup soccer in Italy, as well as Pan-American Games competitions in Argentina and Cuba. He also has been a columnist for '' The Sporting News'' and '' Sport Magazine'' and for 15 years wrote a humor column for '' Inside Sports'' magazine known as "The Good Doctor." He was a featured sports correspondent for KABC radio in Los Angeles and for WJR radio in Detroit and has often been a panelist on ESPN television's weekly talk show, '' The Sports Reporters''. He is a voter for the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

. In statewide voting by peers, Downey has been selected National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association sportswriter of the year eleven times, in Illinois (twice), Michigan (twice) and California (seven times). He was honored for his news column by the Los Angeles Press Club in 1998 and won the 1994 Eclipse Award, thoroughbred racing's highest honor.Downey, Hovdey Win 1994 Eclipse Awards
/ref> Downey's writing has appeared in a variety of national magazines including '' GQ'', ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

'', '' Entertainment Weekly'', '' Disney Adventures'', '' American Way'', '' Reader's Digest'' and '' TV Guide''. He was included as a character in the

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thri ...

novel ''Be Cool''. Downey resides in Rancho Mirage, California. He is married to singer Gail Martin, daughter of the entertainer

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downey, Mike 1951 births Living people American columnists Writers from Chicago Chicago Sun-Times people Journalists from Illinois Sportspeople from the Chicago metropolitan area Detroit Free Press people Chicago Daily News people Los Angeles Times people People from Chicago Heights, Illinois People from Steger, Illinois Sportswriters from Illinois