Eddie MacCabe

Edward William Joseph MacCabe (January 15, 1927 – May 22, 1998) was a Canadian sports journalist and writer. He began in journalism with the Ottawa Journal in 1946, briefly wrote for the Montreal Star from 1951 and 1952, then returned to the Ottawa Journal as a columnist and its sports editor until 1977. He later served as the sports editor at the Ottawa Citizen from 1977 to 1985. He regularly reported on the Ottawa Rough Riders and covered the Grey Cup championship annually from 1947 onward. He was friends with the people he wrote about but could be ruthless when necessary, and relied on the human touch in his writings. He wrote history books for the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club and the Canada Games, and a biography of football quarterback Russ Jackson. MacCabe detailed the history of Ottawa through sports, and wrote Christmas-themed short stories published annually in the Ottawa Journal and the Ottawa Citizen. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1985, and the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 1994.

Early life Edward William Joseph MacCabe was born in Toronto, Ontario, on January 15, 1927, into a family with Irish heritage. He was the son of Joseph MacCabe and Winnifred Flynn, and moved to Ottawa at age nine.

Journalism career

MacCabe began writing for the Ottawa Journal in June 1946, briefly worked for the Montreal Star from 1951 and 1952, then returned to the Ottawa Journal as a columnist and its sports editor until 1977. MacCabe was lured to the Ottawa Citizen in 1977, by its editor who offered more money to have better journalists. He covered the Grey Cup championship annually from 1947 onward, and often wrote about amateur golf and boxing, junior ice hockey and high school sports. MacCabe joked that he once bribed a caddie to allow him to carry the golf bag for the president to get an exclusive interview, then after being noticed he was pinned to the ground with guns pointed at his head.

MacCabe retired as sports editor of the Ottawa Citizen after a heart attack in 1985, then worked occasionally as a freelancer.

List of books:

Personal life MacCabe was married twice and had two daughters. In June 1983, he was the guest of honour at a testimonial dinner held at the Ottawa Civic Centre attended by more than 1,000 people, which raised $15,000 for the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club. When he was inducted into the builder category of the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 1994, MacCabe estimated that he had written about or knew 90 per cent of the other 162 inductees.