John U. Bacon
John U. Bacon is an American journalist and author of books on sports and business as well as a sports commentator on TV and radio. Background. After graduating from Huron High School, Bacon earned a bachelor's degree in History and a master's degree in Education from the University of Michigan. His first journalism job was as a lifestyle report for "The Ann Arbor News" in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1995, Bacon became a sports feature writer for "The Detroit News". During this period, he wrote articles on baseball player Jackie Robinson, the sport of bullfighting , and high school basketball at a Potawatomi Native American reservation in Michigan. In 1998, Bacon traveled to Nagano, Japan to cover the 1998 Winter Olympics for "The Detroit News". After the Olympics, Bacon left "The Detroit News" to become a freelance writer. He has written articles for "The New York Times", "Time", and "ESPN The Magazine". In 2000, Bacon started his radio career with a sports show on WAAM in Ann Arbor. In 2002, he started a radio show, Off the Field, on WTKA in Ann Arbor. In 2007, Bacon began providing weekly sports commentary on Michigan public television stations . In 2005, Bacon was awarded a Knight-Wallace Fellowship for journalism from the University of Michigan. Books. Bacon is the author of several books on sports and business, including: "Three and Out", "Fourth and Long" and "Endzone" have been New York Times bestsellers. Media appearances. Bacon provides weekly sports commentary on behalf of the University of Michigan's athletic program for Michigan Radio and appears often on NPR, ESPN and the Big Ten Network, among other networks. In 2015, his radio essay won first prize in the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI) awards. Bacon has been a guest on  NPR's quiz shows "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" and "Ask Me Another". Bacon gives speeches for corporations and other organizations, including three TEDx talks, another to receive the Golden Apple Award, and the Knight-Wallace Fellows Program's Hovey Lecture. Academia. Bacon teaches at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and at the University of Michigan. In 2009, Michigan students awarded him the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching. In 2019, Bacon taught a class on Teaching and Coaching at the University of Michigan School of Education. Bacon coached the hockey team of his alma mater , Huron High School, from 2000 to 2004. He led the team from its worst to its best record in school history in three years. In 2007, Bacon was inducted into the River Rat Hall of Fame. In 2019, Bacon appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to the Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees Personal life. Bacon is married to the former Christie Breitner, and they have one son.