Heartbroken and numb to learn of the death of Bill Nack. Bill was a masterly storyteller, both in the words he put on paper and in the tales he told over dinner or drinks. He discovered Secretariat. He would famously recite the last page from "The Great Gatsby," in Spanish if he was so inclined.
During Derby week In the late '90s, he was holding court like only he could with about 10 of us at an Italian restaurant in Louisville when he stopped talking in mid-sentence. Rick Pitino, the new coach at Louisville, had walked in. Bill had written an unflattering yet fair piece on Pitino. The two stared daggers at one another.
He was the authority on Secretariat. If you read one thing today, make it this piece from 1990. Epic.
https://www.si.com/vault/1990/06/04...author-on-an-unforgettably--exhilarating-ride
No surprise he was a consultant on the movie starring Diane Lane. When I asked Bill if he had had the honor of meeting Ms. Lane, he replied, "Meet her? The first day I showed up for filming, she ran across the set, gave me a hug and told me how much she enjoyed the book."
Bill was quite simply a good man who oozed humility, a man who touched the lives of family, friends and total strangers, a man who personified class in every sense of the word. The Derby is three weeks away. The backstretch at Churchill Downs is going to be awfully empty. RIP, my friend.
https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2018/04/14/william-nack-sports-illustrated-obituary
During Derby week In the late '90s, he was holding court like only he could with about 10 of us at an Italian restaurant in Louisville when he stopped talking in mid-sentence. Rick Pitino, the new coach at Louisville, had walked in. Bill had written an unflattering yet fair piece on Pitino. The two stared daggers at one another.
He was the authority on Secretariat. If you read one thing today, make it this piece from 1990. Epic.
https://www.si.com/vault/1990/06/04...author-on-an-unforgettably--exhilarating-ride
No surprise he was a consultant on the movie starring Diane Lane. When I asked Bill if he had had the honor of meeting Ms. Lane, he replied, "Meet her? The first day I showed up for filming, she ran across the set, gave me a hug and told me how much she enjoyed the book."
Bill was quite simply a good man who oozed humility, a man who touched the lives of family, friends and total strangers, a man who personified class in every sense of the word. The Derby is three weeks away. The backstretch at Churchill Downs is going to be awfully empty. RIP, my friend.
https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2018/04/14/william-nack-sports-illustrated-obituary
