Sportswriter Joe Reardon passes away
Covered track and field for Herald
In a business where many of us can display a cranky side from time to time, Joe Reardon was the exception to the rule.
Nothing pleased Joe more than getting an assignment to cover a crosscountry meet, an indoor track event or an outdoor track festivities. It wouldn’t matter whether the event was in his backyard or 100 miles away, Joe was more than happy to report on the young men and women excelling and did so with a smile on his face.
The news that Joe recently passed away unexpectedly at the age of 59 stunned the track and cross-country world. As soon as his beloved sister Ellen posted the tragic news on Facebook, coaches, reporters and school officials were quick to express their condolences to the Reardon family (Joe is survived by a son Jack and daughters Elizabeth and Katie) and followed up with a quick anecdote about Joe and what made him so beloved on the track circuit.
“Joe was a genuine person who everyone respected,” said Woburn track coach James Fletcher. “He had a great awareness for the sport, whether it was cross country or track. He just knew when the right time was to talk to a coach or an athlete.”
Joe joined the Herald family in 2000, brought aboard by former Herald High School Sports Editor Jim Clark. Now employed by the MIAA, Clark vividly remembers sitting down with Joe and being blown away by his track knowledge.
“It was a crazy time for me as I just got hired and I was in the process of hiring 8-9 people,” Clark said. “I just remembered Joe’s knowledge about track and cross-country and I knew that would be such a valuable asset. Over the years, Joe showed that he was willing to do whatever was needed.”
Several years later when Clark moved on to become a copy editor at the Boston Herald, I slid into his role as high school sports editor. As anyone who holds that title at any newspaper can attest, it is not an easy job. The biggest advantage I had, however, was having Joe Reardon on the staff.
The luxury of being able to hand over the track and cross-country duties to Joe made my job that much easier. As good a worker as he was, he was twice the person and that’s been made abundantly clear in the past few days. His co-workers spoke fondly of their time at the Herald working alongside Joe.
“I can still remember Joe helping guide me through covering my first track and cross country meets when I was at the Herald,” said Greg Dudek, now working for NESN. “He knew everything about the sport and always put the student-athletes first. Joe was an incredibly kind man who will undoubtedly be missed.”
“I worked with Joe for six years and we did hundreds of track, cross-country and other high school events together for 24 years,” said Jamie Pote, who is a staff writer for the Eagle Tribune. “He was a great friend. I will miss his humor and our talks on music, movies and sports.”
Lowell athletic director Scott Ouellet spent many years coaching track. He was constantly amazed at the volume of knowledge Joe possessed. As one coach joked years ago, “Joe has forgotten more than we will ever know on our best day”.
“For me, a reporter who covers basketball or hockey games, they have to know two teams and 10-15 kids,” Ouellete said. “At a track meet, there may be 100 boys and girls teams and so many hundreds of kids, yet Joe always knew which teams to follow, which events were the featured ones and which story lines to go after and he nailed it.
“Joe had that knowledge and always took pride in doing a good job.”
In addition to his tireless work covering meets, Joe was always on the lookout for a special story, that student-athlete who dealt with adversity, overcame physical challenges and other obstacles to achieve success.
“Joe had that special ability to touch upon the personal aspects of the athlete and bring them into the limelight,” Fletcher said. “He loved to write about athletes and learn why they were special in their own way. He was great at finding the human element and telling their story.”
Rest in peace my good friend Joe.
Relatives and friends can pay their final respects this Thursday from 3-6 p.m. at the Cartwright-Venuti Funeral Home on 845 Washington Street in Braintree. Following the services that evening, there will be a gathering at Campanale’s Restaurant in Braintree in which all are invited.