Jeff Jacobs: The Heart of the Matter

Press Box Access: A Sports History Podcast

Jeff Jacobs is a writer who bleeds on the keyboard, and his passion for the craft has never wavered during 46 years in the business. You’ll hear it as Jeff recalls his first big career moment when he unexpectedly became part of the story at a minor league hockey fight. He puts us there in January1980 when the Philadelphia Flyers’ record 35-game undefeated streak ended, and he provides other hockey stories that depict the sport’s unique culture. Jeff brings the Hartford Whalers back to life with vivid anecdotes and a few bars of the defunct NHL team’s fight song. And he shares details and tales of dustups from many years of covering Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun, two Hall of Fame basketball coaches at the University of Connecticut. Hear about heart attacks, hate mail, and a memorable phone call from a particularly cranky senior citizen.

Jacobs has been named Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year 11 times (including 2022) by the National Sports Media Association. He has been honored four times by the Associated Press Sports Editors as one of the top-10 columnists in the country. Jeff spent nearly 34 years at the Hartford Courant before becoming sports columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group in January 2018. He was the Hartford Courant’s sports columnist for 22 years after covering the Whalers and NHL as the paper’s beat reporter. Jeff has covered all four of the UConn men’s basketball national championships and 10 of the 11 NCAA titles won by Auriemma’s women’s program. He’s also covered multiple Olympics, World Series, Super Bowls, and Stanley Cup Finals.

Jacobs was born in Kirkwood, Mo., grew up in Newport, R.I., and is a 1977 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He began his career as a hockey writer at The Times Herald in Port Huron, Michigan, and then covered the Flyers for The Courier Post (New Jersey) before joining the Hartford Courant in 1984.

Jeff likes to say that his hobby is surviving heart attacks. He had a double bypass surgery after his second one in 2019. His first heart attack, in 2005, required a quadruple bypass. Here’s to wishing Jeff great health and many more years of writing.

Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffjacobs123

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