5-Time NC Sportswriter of Year Green Dies At 95

Ronald Green, 95, passed away on Sept. 18 in Charlotte after a brief illness. Green was a long-time sports columnist for the Charlotte News and the Charlotte Observer, writing about some of the most memorable events and people in the region for more than 50 years.

He is survived by son Ron Jr., (wife Tamera) and daughter, Edie (husband John) and predeceased by his son Dave (wife Mary).

Green was married to his wife, Beth, for 68 years until she passed away Oct. 1, 2023.

He and his wife loved spending time with their five grandchildren, Savannah Green, Maddie McGlone, Dakota Green, Jake McGlone and Molly Green.

Born in Greenville, S.C., Green moved nearly a dozen times before settling in Charlotte when he was in the eighth grade. By the time he was a junior at Central High School in Charlotte, Green was covering prep sports for the Charlotte News, launching a memorable career.

He began working full-time for the afternoon paper when he graduated high school in 1948 and he never attended college. Green was drafted into the army and spent time in Japan and Korea. Upon his discharge, he returned to his job at the News and was a sports writer for life.

Green worked at the Charlotte News, where he was the sports editor, through 1984 when he became the sports columnist for the Charlotte Observer. He wrote full-time for the Observer until his retirement in 1999 and continued writing occasional articles for the Observer, including his popular Thanksgiving column, for several years after retiring.

He covered more than 80 golf major championships including 60 consecutive Masters tournaments. Green also covered 25 Super Bowls, four Olympic Games, 26 Final Fours, the U.S. Tennis Open, heavyweight title bouts and countless college and professional football and basketball games.

“I loved newspapers,” Green once said. “I still remember the first day I walked into a newspaper office — how it smelled. The ink and the paper. Still remember it. Never got over it. I loved being a newspaperman. I loved the rush, and the crush, of a deadline. And I just never got over feeling good when I saw my byline in the paper.”

Green called N.C. State’s 1983 NCAA championship run with coach Jim Valvano the most exciting event he ever covered and he said amateur golfer Billy Joe Patton, who nearly won the 1954 Masters, was his favorite subject to write about.

He wrote about games and people both big and small, bringing them to life. Whether it was Dean Smith and Arnold Palmer or no-name short-track race car drivers, Green had a gift for sharing their stories.

Green’s annual Thanksgiving column, in which he would list the many things he appreciated from the smell of chicken frying to the peacefulness of Pinehurst, endeared him to readers. Countless times through the years, readers would tell him the rituals they had created about reading his Thanksgiving column and making it a part of their holiday.

He is a member of the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the United States Basketball Writers Hall of Fame and the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Green received the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award and in 2010 he was honored by Jack Nicklaus with the Memorial Tournament journalism award. The Charlotte City Amateur golf championship trophy is named for him as well.

Green is the author of four books: From Tobacco Road to Amen Corner: On Sports and Life (1990); Shouting at Amen Corner (1999); Slow Dancing with Bobby Jones (2004) and a History of Charlotte Country Club (2005).

“I was born with a talent that can’t be taught and that’s just a blessing that fell to me. Plus, I loved my job,” Green said.

“From the day I walked into the News and asked for a job until the day I retired, I was in my personal heaven. I got the best seats, got to talk to the players and coaches, got to write about, saw it published in the paper and I got paid for it.

“If that isn’t heaven for a guy from an old mill hill, what is?”

A private funeral service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The First Tee of Greater Charlotte.