Background

Pope was born on April 11, 1928 in Athens, Georgia, United States; the son of Henry Louis Pope and Rose (McAfee) Pope.

Education

Pope received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia in 1948.

Career

Pope began his career in 1939, covering small events for "Athens Banner-Herald". Then in 1943, he was appointed a sports editor of that newspaper. Five years later John became a sports editor at the United Press International.

In 1950, he took a position of a sports writer of Atlanta Journal. In 1954, Pope became an executive sports editor of that journal. Then in 1956, he became an assistant sports editor of the "Miami Herald". In 1967, John was appointed a sports editor of the same newspaper, where he worked until his retirement in 2003. He contributed columns to that newspaper until 2016, when he wrote his last piece eulogizing boxer Muhammad Ali. In addition, he covered Super Bowl I through Super Bowl XLVII.

Achievements

• Pope was given four National Headliners Club awards as the nation's best columnist and three Eclipse Awards for thoroughbred racing columns.
  
  Pope was a member of National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, Florida Sports Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Football's Greatest Coaches: And the Story of the Players and Plays That Made Them Famous

    (The stories of the players and the plays that made them f...)

    1955
  • The Edwin Pope Collection

    (Essays discuss football, baseball, golf, fishing, horse r...)

    1988

Connections

John Pope was married to Eileen Pope. They have four children.

Father:

Henry Louis Pope

Mother:

Rose (McAfee) Pope

Spouse:

Eileen Pope

child:

Susan Pope

child:

Shirley Pope

child:

Eddie Pope

child:

David Pope