Ex-Free Press columnist Charlie Vincent remembered for his love of sports, and people

Before Charlie Vincent's near-three-decade career as a sports writer and columnist at the Detroit Free Press, he paid his dues at smaller newspapers in his home state of Texas. And loved to tell a tale from his youth.

It concerned the day he told the publisher of his hometown Victoria Advocate that he needed a pay raise or he would quit.

The publisher quickly called out to his secretary.

“Honey,” the boss said, “write up Charlie’s severance check. He’s leaving us.”

Vincent, 81, died on Wednesday in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. Funeral arrangements are pending.

He had a knack for story-telling, in person and in print, and would make himself the butt of the joke to put a smile on a friend’s face. Vincent’s combination of approachability and versatility served him well in the Motor City from 1970 to 1999. He liked sports and sports people liked him.

“Charlie was one of the all-time greatest sports columnists in this greatest of sports towns," former Free Press sports editor Gene Myers said. "Although Charlie wrote about everything from many corners of the globe — and had a real way with words — I most associate him with the Pistons. When I came to Detroit in the early ’80s, Charlie was the Pistons beat reporter, the auto racing writer and an occasional columnist. The Pistons weren’t the Bad Boys; they were just plain bad. Then came Isiah Thomas, and no one chronicled the way an entire state embraced him and the championships he delivered like Charlie did."

Vincent covered baseball, football, basketball, auto racing, tennis, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union and went on to win the gold medal in Lake Placid, New York.

In 1985, he was made a full-time columnist. He took his work seriously but himself less so.

For example: As journalists wrote their stories after Lions’ games in the press box at the Pontiac Silverdome, the public relations staff would serve beer. Vincent accepted with: “This is where I find the adjectives.”

In a profession not without egotism and elitism, Vincent was among the friendliest. As Charlie might have put it, he never got too big for his britches. Despite his status, Vincent welcomed young colleagues.

One of them was the author Barry Levine, a college intern from Philadelphia at the Free Press in 1978. Vincent introduced himself and told Levine “The first thing you need to know is where to get the best cheeseburger.”

So Vincent invited Levine to the Lindell AC bar.

“I don’t remember the burger,” Levine said, “but Charlie told me about his love for sports writing and we consumed a few beers.”

Another Free Press colleague, Mike Downey, recalled the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, when Vincent and Downey climbed into a rental car after a basketball game in the Forum. Vincent forgot one item on the car roof. They drove away. It fell off. Police discovered the suspicious package.

“A bomb-squad guy imploded it,” Downey said Thursday. “It was Charlie’s computer. He and I laughed later that it was the worst turnover of the tournament.”

Charles Eager Vincent, Jr., was born on March 24, 1940, the son of Charles Eager (Slick) Vincent and Ruth Hazel (Beans) Vincent. According to one of his sons, Jack, Charlie “was a writer, historian, debater, chef and, overall, a well-rounded, worldly sort of man.”

Vincent is survived by Karen Vincent, his wife of 36 years. In an internet posting Thursday, Jack Vincent wrote that his father also left behind “five children, seven stepchildren, 20 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and three amazing wives.”

Vincent enjoyed country-western music and once said one of his favorite song titles was “All My Exes Live in Texas.”

During his retirement, Vincent traveled extensively to visit his widespread descendants. He posted pictures of his trips on Facebook and still commented sharply on sports with a critical thinker’s balance of skepticism and enthusiasm.

“Transfer portals, NIL payments to college athletes and $10 million a year contracts for football coaches leave a bad taste in my mouth,” Vincent wrote on Dec. 17. “But, damn, college football is still so much fun to watch.”

On August 28, he wrote “Uugh!! I hate this — living long enough to read too many obituaries of so many friends and colleagues.” But on Sept. 29, he wrote: “I am feeling especially blessed right now for the life I have lived.”

Among those remembering him Thursday was former Free Press sports editor and deputy managing editor Dave Robinson.

“I was a big fan of Charlie’s work before I ever met him," said Robinson, who worked at the Free Press from 1985-2007. "When I was reviewing sections before my interview to become sports editor, I was immediately impressed by his stories. There was always great energy; I felt like I was at the game.

“I was even more impressed when I met him and worked with him for many great years. He was a pro — always dedicated to doing his absolute best for his readers.

“Just a great guy, too. He was always so proud of his family. He will be missed.”

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Free Press' Charlie Vincent remembered for love of sports, people