Sportswriting legend and author Jim Taylor dies

by Charlie Smith on January 7th, 2019 at 11:01 PM

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One of the giants of B.C.'s sportswriting community has died at the age of 82.

Jim Taylor was an exceptionally talented writer with several newspapers, penning more than 7,500 columns over his career.

He was also the author of many books, including Hello Sweetheart? Gimmie Rewrite!: My Life in the Wonderful World of Sports and Rick Hansen: Man in Motion, and biographies about football players Matt Dunigan and Jim Young, hockey stars Wayne Gretzky and Igor Larionov, and soccer's Bob Lenarduzzi, among others.

Here's part of what B.C. Sports Hall of Fame curator Jason Beck wrote about Taylor after he was inducted in 2005:

"In era when daily sportswriting was becoming increasingly factual and statistically oriented, Jim Taylor successfully fused wit, sarcasm, and creativity while frequently posing the most overlooked question in sports journalism: 'What if?'

"Few writers attained such popularity and longevity writing on events that spanned the sporting spectrum from the drama of the 1972 Summit Series to the ridiculous Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield ear-biting fiasco. In between, he presented philosophical discussions to the reader on why Donald Duck wears no pants and what if the Lone Ranger kissed a girl. Tough subjects were tackled as well that inevitably tugged on the heartstrings."

Taylor graduated from Victoria high school in 1955 in the same class as a future federal cabinet minister, David Anderson.

As a sportswriter, Taylor began by covering men's softball for one of Victoria's two daily papers. He later worked at the Vancouver Sun for 13 years and the Province for 17 years. He also wrote a column for the Calgary Sun.

Taylor was a kind-hearted, humble, and funny man. That's reflected in the many tributes to him being passed around over social media tonight.

You can read some of them below: