Will McDonough facts for kids

William McDonough (born July 6, 1935 – died January 9, 2003) was an American sportswriter for The Boston Globe. He also worked as a football reporter on TV for CBS and NBC.

William McDonough's Life

Early Life and School

William McDonough grew up in South Boston. He was the youngest of nine children in his family. His parents were immigrants from Ireland.

At The English High School, he was a talented athlete. He played baseball as a pitcher and was a quarterback in football.

Starting His Writing Career

While studying at the Northeastern University School of Journalism, McDonough began working at the Boston Globe in 1955. He started as an intern and a "copy boy," helping to cover school sports. After he graduated in 1957, the Globe hired him full-time.

In 1960, William McDonough became a sportswriter. He was given the job of covering the Boston Patriots football team. This team was new at the time, part of the American Football League. For over 40 years, he was one of the best football reporters in the country. He retired in 2001.

McDonough worked with other famous Globe sportswriters like Peter Gammons and Bob Ryan. In 1993, he became an associate editor at the Globe. Another writer, Leigh Montville, once said about McDonough: "He was the scoop guy." This meant McDonough was great at getting exclusive stories first. He was known for being both a fast and good writer.

William McDonough was famous for breaking many "scoops" and getting news before anyone else. After he passed away, Paul Tagliabue, who was the head of the NFL, called him the "most influential reporter" covering the league.

Working on Television

Besides writing for newspapers, William McDonough also became a TV reporter. This was quite new for journalists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He started at CBS and later moved to NBC.

He appeared on NBC's NFL Live pregame show from 1991 to 1993. McDonough once joked about his TV work, saying he proved you didn't have to be "pretty" to be on television. For one season, he also worked as an analyst for New England Patriots preseason games.

His Family

William McDonough was married twice and had five children. With his first wife, Wilma, he had three children: Sean, Erin, and Terry. With his second wife, Denise, he had two children: Ryan and Cara.

One of his sons, Sean McDonough, followed in his footsteps and became a sportscaster for ESPN. Sean is also an announcer for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Another son, Terry McDonough, worked in football as a vice president for the Arizona Cardinals. His third son, Ryan McDonough, was the general manager for the Phoenix Suns basketball team.

Interestingly, each of these three sons has a championship ring from a different sport:

• Sean got one as an announcer for the 2004 Boston Red Sox (baseball).
• Terry earned one as a scout for the 2000 Baltimore Ravens (football).
• Ryan received one as a special assistant for the 2008 Boston Celtics (basketball).

Later Years and Passing

William McDonough passed away from a heart attack at his home in Hingham on January 9, 2003. He was 67 years old.