Not really. He's really dead, but he didn't ruin George's career when he broke the story of O'Leary's use of hyperbole in a resume. George did that all by himself. (Though it looks like he may be on his way to rebuilding it.)
The man's name was John 'Doc' Hussey, and he was apparently a very good journalist in New Hampshire as well as being better at due diligence than Kevin White. (HT: AOL Fanhouse)
Seeking to do a local-angle story on the new head of the world's most storied college football program, Hussey spoke with several players and the man who coached the UNH football team at the time O'Leary was said to have earned three varsity letters. None of the men remembered O'Leary playing football.
Hussey shared his information with colleague Jim Fennell, whose reporting ultimately revealed that O'Leary had falsified his resume, and the coach -- since named head coach at the University of Central Florida -- was forced to step down at Notre Dame. The Union Leader's coverage of the story earned numerous awards and national acclaim.
"That was classic Doc: great news judgment, consummate team player," said Vin Sylvia, the Union Leader's sports and Sunday editor. "He recognized he was on to a major story, then stepped into the background and worked with a colleague to ensure the story got the best possible coverage."
Fennell has repeatedly emphasized Hussey's role in getting that story to the public.
"What many people may not realize is that Doc Hussey is the guy who got it all started," Fennell said Friday. "He sniffed the story out -- as one colleague succinctly put it: 'old Doc smelled a rat' -- and handed it off to me. Most people remember me for writing the stories, but it wouldn't have been possible without Doc tipping me off.
"That was Doc. From the moment I joined the paper in 2001, he went out of his way to give me story ideas, especially when they concerned two of his favorite subjects -- golf and college sports. They were always worth tracking down," Fennell said.
Hussey's colossal scoop that turned my life into a personal hell for a week (I was doing a gig in Detroit at the time) sort of happened before sport-blogging really took hold. That's sort of unfortunate because, even as a huge Notre Dame homer, I love a story about a journalist at a smallish paper actually doing good journalism and getting such a big reward for it. He'd probably be a more household name in the blogosphere if he'd broken the story today. If we ever got tips and had a chance to break real, live stories rather than just picking on skunkbears all day, we'd probably name a category after Hussey. Maybe we'll do so anyway for big stories that other people break.
Reading the story linked above, it sounds like Doc Hussey really enjoyed his time on earth. Here's to hoping he enjoys his next adventure as well.
By Mark Allen April 8, 2008 - 11:23 am
I do not look at this guy as if he were a hero. In my opinion, O’Leary’s mistake was small. It should have been forgiven. We would, then, not have had the three lousy years of the Ty era. I wonder if the journalist would have done this had it been, say, USC? Also – what was the journalist doing to find out about O’Leary’s mistake? Did he go over O’Leary with a fine tooth comb BECAUSE he was going to be the Notre Dame coach?
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By domer.mq April 8, 2008 - 11:41 am
Mark,
Did you read the article? He wasn’t hunting for anything at all. He wanted a “local angle” to the hiring of O’Leary, which was only natural considering O’Leary made all those claims about his time at New Hampshire. When not a single player or coach from that time remembered him, not a single one, I think it’s fair to say the story jumped out at him. It would have been wrong to cover it up at that point. I’d be upset if he had a story like that jump out at him about Carrol or Meyer and he didn’t report it.
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