Texas Sports Journalist Joe C. McLaughlin
McLaughlin on SWC Press Tour
McLaughlin with Jess Neely and Bill Whitmore circa 1966.

Joseph Carroll McLaughlin (April 17, 1934 – November 25, 1997) was a mid to late 20th century sportswriter.[1] According to the Houston Chronicle, McLaughlin was "one of the true newspaper legends of the Southwest Conference".[2]

Sportswriter Joe McLaughlin with Wilfredo Benitez- the youngest boxing champion in the world.

He has been quoted and had articles published in books, football programs, magazines, and newspapers around the country, ranging from Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon by Michael Ezra[3] to The Story of Golf in Oklahoma by Del Lemon,[4] the 1976 Clemson Tiger Football Program,[5] The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey by Leslie H. Southwick, [6] and Cougars of Any Color: The Integration of University of Houston Athletics by Katherine Lopez.[7]

Early Career

McLaughlin began his career at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in the 1950s. This was followed by stints at the Abilene Reporter-News[8] where his column was known as "Mac's Facts", and the Fort Worth Star Telegram.[9] In 1961, McLaughlin won First Place in Sports Stories in cities under 75,000 from the Associated Press for his basketball piece "Cowboys Collar Arizona U".[10]

By the mid-1960s, McLaughlin had begun what would be the first of 26 years at the Houston Chronicle as a writer and editor. While covering professional boxing, McLaughlin interviewed a rising star named Cassius Clay, who within days became known as Muhammad Ali. McLaughlin's later interviews with Ali led to some good-natured teasing of Ali and his new name though some reporters, such as columnist Earl Gilliam, "showed no shame in insulting the champ's manhood, religion and name." Gilliam's mischaracterization of the exchange between Ali and McLaughlin, as well as McLaughlin's own heritage, was widely reported: "Chronicle boxing writer Joe McLaughlin, who Gilliam described as being Scottish-Cherokee...and thinking of becoming Japanese, asked Ali how to spell Ali. Mind you, this was two years after Ali became Ali. 'It is Ali,' Ali told him. 'My name is world famous, sir.'" McLaughlin clearly knew how to spell "Ali" and the moment was a shared bit of humor over Ali's certainty that everyone in the world knew how to spell his name.[11]

Mid to Late Career

In the 1970s and 80s, McLaughlin covered the Southwest Conference as part of the official SWC Press Tour.[12]

Joe McLaughlin covering the 1977 Cotton Bowl, UH vs. Maryland.

In Houston, McLaughlin covered Rice University and the University of Houston athletic programs. Among the highlights was following the Houston basketball program during the 1982-1984 seasons as they became known as “Phi Slama Jama.” Commenting on newcomer Akeem Olajuwon in 1981, McLaughlin presciently said that the "6-11 Nigerian could be Big Man in UH Plans.”[13]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe McLaughlin (sportswriter).
  1. ↑ "Joe McLaughlin, 63, spent 26 years as a sportswriter". News-Press. November 27, 1997. p. 27. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. ↑ McMurray, Bill: Texas High School Football, Icarus Press, 1985.
  3. ↑ Ezra, Michael (January 15, 2009). Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon. Temple University Press. ISBN 9781592136612.
  4. ↑ Lemon, Del (December 19, 2023). The Story of Golf in Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806133003.
  5. ↑ https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1123&context=fball_prgms
  6. ↑ Southwick, Leslie H. (October 11, 2013). The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496801326.
  7. ↑ Lopez, Katherine (March 10, 2008). Cougars of Any Color: The Integration of University of Houston Athletics, 1964-1968. McFarland. ISBN 9780786437214.
  8. ↑ "Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas". October 8, 1958.
  9. ↑ "Fort Worth Star-Telegram Archive". August 27, 1964.
  10. ↑ "AP Newspaper Awards: S-T Staffers Win Honors in Contest". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 21, 1962. p. 8. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ Solomon, Jerome (June 7, 2016). "Barry Warner brings it to Jerome on Muhammad Ali". Houston Chronicle.
  12. ↑ "A Look Back at the Southwest Conference".
  13. ↑ https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/pdfs/v3n1.pdf
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