News - Local

Published: Monday, Jul. 06, 2009

Ask the Editor: Persistent pursuit pays off for Tribune intern seeking John Madden interview

Sports reporter’s research and tenacity landed him an interview with John Madden

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Like any good reporter, Tribune sports intern Donovan Aird began researching his two-day series on John Madden because he was curious and believed he could shed light on the icon.

“As a 21-year resident of this county and a football enthusiast who attended Cal Poly, I’d long heard of John Madden’s association with Cal Poly — a sort of elusive legend of him as a player and then also rumors relating to his estrangement from the school over the years,” Aird says.

But as is often the case in reporting, Aird’s project required a lot of research — and persistence.

He dug out all the articles he could find on Madden, pouring through old Tribune clips and others.

He tracked down 10 of Madden’s former Cal Poly teammates plus other colleagues.

Still, Aird says, “I knew I’d have to reach Madden himself to truly shed light on the issues involved.’’

He first tried Madden through his office in Pleasanton in late April, shortly after his retirement.

“A secretary said she’d pass along my inquiry, but nothing came of it. I also mailed print letters to four White Pages listings of Virginia Madden (his wife) in Pleasanton, thinking that might help, but there still was no response. I tried asking Cal Poly, and I was told they didn’t even have his contact information anymore.”

Then, he says, he sought the advice of a Pleasanton-based Contra Costa Times sports writer (and former Tribune sports intern), who suggested he ask for a woman named Joan in Madden’s office.

She wasn’t there, so he left a message. “No response. By this time, it had been about three weeks of trying, and I was thinking it wasn’t going to happen.”

On May 28, Joan told him that Madden was aware of his inquiry but given that a month had passed he probably wouldn’t respond. As a way to break through, she recommended that Aird send Madden questions via e-mail.

Aird did so immediately, smartly framing them to indicate he’d researched Madden’s life and understood the key issues based on conversations with friends.

He included a little-known fact about Madden: that he’d transferred to Cal Poly from the University of Oregon.

The next day, while Aird was editing video for a journalism class, he checked his phone messages, and there was one from Madden.

“It was one of the best thrills of my young journalistic career,’’ Aird says.

He left the video editing room, went outside and, coincidentally standing just outside Alex G. Spanos Stadium, returned the call.

He asked Madden if he could call him back from a computer later in the day. But Madden said he’d be traveling soon.

So Aird took notes the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper.

It was a 37-minute interview. “I still have the notes at home,’’ Aird says.

If you missed Aird’s coverage, which we published Friday and Saturday, you can read it on our Web site, www.sanluisobispo.com.

Do you have a question about our news decisions or news operation? Please write to me c/o The Tribune, P.O. Box 112, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93406-0112, or e-mail me at sduerr@thetribunenews.com.

Sandra Duerr is the executive editor of The Tribune.