The Golden Bear to honor the late Dan Jenkins

Nicklaus and Jenkins

Golf Legend Jack Nicklaus is coming to Fort Worth Friday, Oct. 25, to honor the late, beloved sportswriter Dan Jenkins at the third annual Dan Jenkins Medal For Excellence In Sportswriting dinner.

The event, to be held at the Colonial Country Club, where Jenkins was a longtime member, will feature a VIP reception with Nicklaus and a dinner conversation with Jenkins’ daughter, Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins, according to a news release.

“The Golden Bear” and Jenkins were friends for more than 50 years.

“Golf lost a great friend in Dan Jenkins,” Nicklaus said on Jenkins’ passing last year at age 90. “Like most great friends, those who know just how to make you laugh, smile and entertain you, Dan was able to do that through his writing. He never sacrificed accuracy for a good story.”

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The event is open to the public.

The dinner takes place the evening before the TCU-Texas Big 12 college football game in Fort Worth, and is sponsored by the Center for Sports Communication & Media, part of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.

Jenkins’ archive of personal papers, books and manuscripts is housed at the Center.

Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated is the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post and Sarah Spain with ESPN will take home the Medals for Excellence in Sportswriting awards.

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“Our goal and vision is to make the Jenkins Medal the Heisman Trophy of sportswriting in America,” says Michael Butterworth, Director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media. “Our students and aspiring sportswriters need to know what Dan Jenkins meant and still means to our world of sports journalism and how the winners of the Jenkins Medal are setting the standards in our craft today.”

The Jenkins Medal For Excellence in Sportswriting is a national awards competition decided by a jury of fellow sportswriters from around the country.

The awards are named in honor of Jenkins, the legendary Texas sportswriter to celebrate the craft and culture of sportswriting he personified through his storied career, the news release said.

Jenkins was an award-winning sportswriter and best-selling novelist whose career spanned more than six decades. Three of his best-selling novels – Semi-Tough, Dead Solid Perfect and Baja Oklahoma – have been made into movies.

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Tables for eight range from $1,500 to $10,000 depending on the package selected. Individual tickets are $200 or $300, again according to package selection.

For individual tickets and tables to the reception and dinner, please go to www.jenkinsmedal.com or call (512) 471-2431.

– FWBP Staff