Legendary turf writer Nack, who chronicled Secretariat, dies at 77
Eclipse Award-winning sports journalist William Nack, a native of Chicago and a longtime stalwart with Sports Illustrated, died Friday following a lengthy battle with cancer at age 77.
A tremendously talented writer with a keen intellect, Nack chronicled the career of the immortal Secretariat while employed at Newsday. A man blessed with an incredible power of recall, he could recite Kentucky Derby winners from the turn of the 20th century through the present day, chapter and verse, without breaking a verbal sweat.
A winner of six media Eclipse Awards for outstanding magazine writing, Nack’s resume also included the 1992 Walter Haight Award, presented by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters for career excellence and in 2017, he received ESPN’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports writing.