Longtime Star Tribune Columnist Retires After 36 Years

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Jim Souhan, a sports columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune, announced this week that he is retiring after 36 years at the paper.

Souhan joined the Star Tribune in February 1990, when then-sports editor Arnie Robbins hired him away from the Dallas Morning News to cover the Minnesota Vikings. He had previously covered the Dallas Cowboys, including both sides of the Herschel Walker trade.

He later moved to the Twins beat, took on feature and investigative assignments, and became a full-time columnist in 2004 under sports editor Glen Crevier.

In his farewell column, Souhan credited a long list of Star Tribune colleagues and editors, including Patrick Reusse, Rachel Blount, Julie Engebrecht and Curt Brown, for shaping his career.

He described the decision to leave as "for reasons more personal than professional." Souhan wants to be closer to his family, including his first grandson, and to support his wife's career in education.

Souhan also thanked current Star Tribune editor Kathleen Hennessey and sports editor Natalie Pierre for their support during his departure, and voiced concern for the state of the newspaper industry as a whole.

"America needs financially-viable independent news sources," Souhan wrote, according to the Star Tribune.

Souhan singled out Lindsay Whalen and LaTroy Hawkins as two athletes who left a lasting impression on him, citing their work off the field as much as their success in competition.

Check out the full piece here.