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Bud Collins passes away at 86

Longtime tennis journalist and TV tennis analyst Arthur “Bud” Collins died March 4 at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 86 years old.

Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994, Collins starting writing tennis for the Boston Globe in 1963, and shortly after that added tennis TV commentary to his resume. He is considered the first sports print journalist to have carved out a regular gig offering sports commentary and analysis on TV, too.

From 1972 to 2007, Collins worked for NBC, hosting the “Breakfast at Wimbledon” broadcasts and wearing his trademark bow tie and colorful clothes. He was an authoritative voice in the sport of tennis for 50 years, writing a well-read and well-regarded tennis encyclopedia and history of the game. Over the years, in addition to his articles for the Boston Globe, he regularly appeared on ESPN, the Tennis Channel, Australian TV, and other networks.

Collins also was an avid tennis player, being part of the duo that won the U.S. Indoor Mixed Doubles title early in his career. He also coached at Brandeis University, where future activist Abbie Hoffman was one of his players.

Last September, Collins, whose health had been failing in recent years, traveled to the US Open in New York, accompanied by his wife Anita Ruthling Klaussen, where the media center at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was dedicated and named in his honor.

Posted on March 4, 2016
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