Prolific Tampa Tribune columnist McEwen passes away at 88

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tom McEwen, a longtime sports writer and editor at The Tampa Tribune who amassed more than 10,000 columns during his tenure and pushed hard to bring professional franchises to the city, has died. He was 88.

McEwen died early Sunday at his Davis Island home. His son, Rick McEwen, said his father suffered from numerous illnesses in recent years, including cancer and poor blood circulation that led to one of his legs being amputated a year ago.

The son credited McEwen with putting Tampa on the map in the sports world. McEwen's campaigns for professional franchises helped Tampa land the NFL's Buccaneers and the NHL's Lightning.

"That's his biggest legacy," Rick McEwen said. "He loved the community, he fought for the community, he championed it."

"Had Tom decided to dedicate his trademark smarts, gusto and energy to something else, there would be no Buccaneers," the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs, said in a statement Sunday. "If Tampa Bay had its own Mount Rushmore, Tom McEwen would be etched on it."

McEwen wrote six columns per week for much of his career and also wrote four books. He served as sports editor from 1962 until 1992, and his final column for the paper appeared in 2001.

McEwen covered nearly every Super Bowl, along with major events for virtually every other sport: the World Series, Final Fours, the Masters, Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500, World Cup soccer and several Olympics.

At least two press boxes were named for him, as was a street near Raymond James Stadium, where the Bucs play. McEwan was named Florida Sportswriter of the Year a record 19 times and won The Associated Press Sports Editors' Red Smith Award for lifetime achievement in 1993. He also was a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue once said: "Tom is a giant in his industry."

McEwen developed a close relationship with late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who lived in Tampa. Their families spent Christmas Eve together, and McEwen persuaded Steinbrenner in the 1990s to move the Yankees' spring training base from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa.

Thomas Massey McEwen was born in Tampa on March 16, 1923, and raised in Wauchula as a member of a pioneer Florida family that included his cousin, former state agriculture commissioner Doyle Carlton. He was salutatorian of his high school class and earned a journalism degree with honors from the University of Florida, where he was executive editor of The Alligator student newspaper.

After serving in World War II, McEwen began his professional newspaper career in a $35-a-week position at the Fort Myers News-Press in 1946. He also worked at the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Times.

Despite ill health in recent years, McEwen kept writing until his death. He had a blog for TBO.com and his own web site, heytommcewen.com. A column was posted on the blog just two days before he died. In many of those columns, he signed off with: "Babaloo!"

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Robustelli, who helped Giants to '56 title, passes away at 85

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Football Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli, who played for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams during a 14-year NFL career, has died. He was 85.

"He was one of the greatest players in franchise history, and one of the finest, most dignified gentlemen you could ever meet," Giants President John Mara said. "Andy was a man's man in every respect."

It wasn't immediately clear where and when Robustelli died. His death was first reported by The Stamford Advocate.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound defensive end played for the Rams from 1951-55 and the Giants from 1956-64, but his arrival in New York ushered in one of the greatest eras in Giants' football.

New York won the 1956 NFL championship in Robustelli's first season. They won five more conference championships during his tenure, in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1963. Robustelli played on a winning team in 13 of his 14 pro seasons and played in eight NFL championship games.

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"Andy was a great leader. When he came to us from the Rams, it turned everything around defensively," fellow Hall of Famer Frank Gifford said. "He fit perfectly into Tom Landry's defense. Tom Landry was such a leader in putting defense into pro football and Andy was one of the key components of that."

Robustelli was selected to seven Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-NFL pick seven times, two with the Rams and five with the Giants. He was also a three-time second-team All-Pro choice. In 1962, the Maxwell Club selected Robustelli as the NFL's top player, an honor then usually given to an offensive player.

"He was far and away above the other defensive ends of his era," Gifford said. "Andy was not all that big, but he was very quick. With Andy and Tom Landry, it was almost scary the anticipation that they had of what was going to be run. He and Tom were very, very close. Whereas Tom was the overall defensive coach, Andy basically ran the defensive line along with the linebackers. He was the leader. Everyone knew that. He was the leader in the clubhouse. He was quiet. But when Andy talked, everyone listened."

Robustelli played in 175 regular-season games in his 14-year career, missing only one because of injury. In his last three years with the Giants, he was a player-coach.

Robustelli was the Giants' Director of Operations -- what is now called general manager -- from 1974-78, prior to George Young's arrival. During his tenure, the Giants drafted Hall of Famer Harry Carson, as well as such standout players as George Martin, Gary Jeter and Gordon King.

"Andy is someone I looked up to fiercely," said Martin, who played for the Giants from 1975-88 and is now the executive director and president of the NFL Alumni Association. "I think he was legendary among all ballplayers, but especially within the illustrious Giants' history."

Martin said Robustelli never stopped coaching, even when he was working in the front office.

"Andy was always giving you tips about the game -- here's your general manager coming out to give you some words of advice," Martin said. "For a young man, particularly a rookie, those were like words from heaven. Although our styles were different and the eras in which we played in were completely different, one of the things I know I tried hard to copy was the tenacity that Andy had, because it's transferable no matter what era you played in."

After leaving the Giants, Robustelli was a successful businessman in his native Connecticut.

Born in Stamford, he played football and baseball at Stamford High before enlisting in the U.S. Navy at age 18. During World War II, Robustelli served on the USS William C. Cole in the Pacific Theater. When he returned from war, Robustelli attended Arnold College in nearby Bridgeport. He made his family home in Stamford, where he ran a successful travel agency.

Robustelli's wife, Jeanne, died in April. She was 84. The couple had nine children, 29 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Cooley now using hands for pottery, not Redskins passes

Chris Cooley normally talks about firing off the line to throw a block or catch a pass. But with the NFL lockout nearing one month, he's talking about another type of fire: his passion for pottery.

Yes, the Washington Redskins' two-time Pro Bowl tight end is spending his offseason making kiln-fired vases, bowls and mugs. He even has a shop, The Cooley Gallery, in Leesburg, Va., and planned to hold his first showing Friday night.

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"I love pottery," Cooley told The Washington Post. "I've always loved pottery."

Cooley estimates that he has made 700 pieces since Dec. 3, shortly after he and his wife, Christy, saw an open space in downtown Leesburg and jumped on the opportunity.

"Within a day -- which is pretty normal for how spontaneous I am -- we were like, 'We’re going to have an art gallery,' " Cooley said.

But pottery isn't a passing fancy for Cooley, who was an art major at Utah State. He has a pottery room at his home, too, with a $25,000 wooden kiln outside. He also uses the same pottery wheel his father did while in high school.

So Cooley will concern himself with his pottery pursuits while the league and the players try to settle their differences. He said 30 Redskins players plan to meet at a Northern Virginia high school Wednesday and Thursday for workouts, but otherwise, he'll go on 5-mile runs with Christy and run his shop.

"I don't care; it just doesn't affect me right now," Cooley said of the lockout. "When I'll be pissed off is when the third paycheck doesn't come. I'll give up one and then have to deal with missing two maybe. But after that, I'll be like, 'This is costing me a (expletive)-load of money.' Hey, if they want to tell us, 'You have to miss half of training camp,' great. I'll be ready."

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