View source for Bud Lea

{{Short description|American sportswriter (1928–2021)}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox person
| image       = Bud Lea (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Lea in 2015
| alt         = Lea wearing a Brewers hat
| birth_name  = Merlyn Lea
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1928|12|6}}
| birth_place = [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2021|1|20|1928|12|6}}
| death_place = [[Mequon, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| occupation  = [[Sports journalism|Sportswriter]]
}}
'''Merlyn''' "'''Bud'''" '''Lea''' (December 6, 1928 &ndash; January 20, 2021) was an American [[Sports journalism|sportswriter]] who was noted for covering [[Wisconsin]] sports. Lea, a native of [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]], attended [[Green Bay West High School]] and then the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]. He began his reporting career in college, where he wrote for the school newspaper, ''[[The Daily Cardinal]]''. After college, he was hired by the ''[[Post-Bulletin]]'' in [[Rochester, Minnesota]], before being hired by the ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel#Milwaukee Sentinel|Milwaukee Sentinel]]'' in 1953. Lea's association with the ''Sentinel'' lasted over 55 years and included roles as a [[beat reporting|beat reporter]] of the [[Green Bay Packers]], the newspaper's sports editor and a [[Column (periodical)|columnist]]. Lea died in 2021 at the age of 92.
==Early life==
Bud Lea was born on December 6, 1928, in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]].<ref name="OBIT">{{Cite web | url = https://www.schmidtandbartelt.com/obituaries/obituary-print.aspx?id=14516 | title = Merlyn D. "Bud" Lea | website = SchmidtandBartlet.com | access-date = March 18, 2024 | archive-date = March 16, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240316212550/https://www.schmidtandbartelt.com/obituaries/obituary-print.aspx?id=14516 | url-status = live }}</ref> He grew up on the west side of Green Bay and attended [[Green Bay West High School]]. His twin sister, Marilyn, coined his nickname "Bud". As a child, he attended [[Green Bay Packers]] games with his father at [[City Stadium (Green Bay)|City Stadium]].<ref name="TALES"/> After high school, he attended the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], where he wrote for the school's newspaper, ''[[The Daily Cardinal]]''.<ref name="WNA">{{Cite web | url = https://wnanews.com/2021/01/21/bud-lea-packers-milwaukee-sentinel-obituary/ | website = WNANews.com | title = Bud Lea, longtime Packers writer for Milwaukee Sentinel, dies at 92 | date = January 21, 2021 | access-date = March 18, 2024 | last = Hunter | first = Julia | archive-date = March 16, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240316140836/https://wnanews.com/2021/01/21/bud-lea-packers-milwaukee-sentinel-obituary/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Near the end of his time at university, he was diagnosed with [[ulcerative colitis]]; doctors recommended against becoming a newspaper journalist because of the stress of having to meet daily deadlines.<ref name="OBIT"/>
==Journalism career==
After college, Lea got a job with the ''[[Post-Bulletin]]'' in [[Rochester, Minnesota]].<ref name="WNA"/> In 1953, he joined the ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel#Milwaukee Sentinel|Milwaukee Sentinel]]'' in the sports department. He was given the Packers [[Beat reporting|beat]] in 1954 when none of his colleagues expressed a desire for it.<ref name="TALES">{{Cite news | url = https://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/bud-lea-has-many-packers-tales-to-tell-b99385730z1-282372711.html/ | title = Bud Lea has many Packers tales to tell | newspaper = [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] | last = Hendricks | first = Martin | date = November 12, 2014 | access-date = March 18, 2024 | archive-date = March 16, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240316140448/https://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/bud-lea-has-many-packers-tales-to-tell-b99385730z1-282372711.html/ | url-status = live }}</ref> He covered the Packers beat for 19 years before being promoted to the newspaper's sports editor. Even as sports editor, he still covered the Packers with a recurring [[Column (periodical)|column]]. Lea retired from the ''Sentinel'' in the mid-1990s after it merged with the ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel#The Milwaukee Journal|Milwaukee Journal]]''.<ref name="BEAT">{{Cite news | url = https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2021/01/20/bud-lea-who-made-his-mark-covering-packers-sentinel-dies-92/4233427001/ | newspaper = [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] | title = Bud Lea, who set standard for covering Packers as beat writer for Milwaukee Sentinel, dies at 92 | last = Haudricourt | first = Tom | date = January 20, 2021 | access-date = March 18, 2024 | archive-date = March 16, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240316140447/https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2021/01/20/bud-lea-who-made-his-mark-covering-packers-sentinel-dies-92/4233427001/ | url-status = live }}</ref> After retirement, he continued writing for ''Packers Plus'', a magazine owned by the ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]'' focused on the Packers, for over a decade.<ref name="WNA"/> In addition to the Packers, Lea also covered other local sports, including the Milwaukee Braves (who would later move to [[Atlanta, Georgia]], retaining their [[Atlanta Braves|name]]). Lea had a notable relationship with [[Bud Selig]], who was part owner of the Braves at the time, future owner of the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] and the future [[Commissioner of Baseball]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/selig-bud | title = Bud Selig, Executive, Class of 2017 | access-date = March 19, 2024 | website = BaseballHall.org | archive-date = November 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231130114714/https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/selig-bud | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="BEAT"/> Lea helped form the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association to document the team's history in Milwaukee.<ref name="BEAT"/>
During his time covering the Packers, Lea witnessed some of the most and least successful periods of the [[History of the Green Bay Packers|team's history]]. When he began in the late 1950s, the Packers were one of the worst teams in the NFL, culminating in the team's {{Win-loss record|w=1|l=10|d=1}} record in the [[1959 NFL season]], the worst ever by total wins and winning percentage.<ref name="TALES"/><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/index.htm | title = Green Bay Packers Team Encyclopedia | access-date = March 19, 2024 | website = Pro-Football-Reference.com | archive-date = January 8, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190108201845/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/index.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> However, he also saw the hiring of [[Vince Lombardi]], who would go on to lead the team to five NFL championships in the 1960s. This included the famous [[1967 NFL Championship Game]], known as the "Ice Bowl", which Lea attended and witnessed [[Bart Starr]] score the winning touchdown at the end of the game on a [[quarterback sneak]]. Lea continued covering the Packers in the post-Lombardi years, when the team saw another sustained period of poor on-field performances, and in the 1990s and early 2000s, when [[Brett Favre]] helped lead the Packers to their first championship since the Lombardi era. For his entire career, Lea covered over 30 Super Bowls for the ''Sentinel''.<ref name="TALES"/>
[[File:Bud Lea and wife headstone 7.jpg|thumb|Bud Lea's headstone at St Mary of the Hill in Hartford Wisconsin]]
Lea was well-respected by his colleagues and Packers executives, including Lombardi, [[Bob Harlan]], [[Cliff Christl]] and [[Mark Murphy (American football executive)|Mark Murphy]]. He noted that Lombardi was the most challenging person he covered, often providing short answers or not answering at all, although Christl noted that Lombardi read Lea's coverage of the Packers "religiously".<ref name="PACK">{{Cite web | url = https://www.packers.com/news/longtime-packers-writer-bud-lea-dies-at-92 | title = Longtime Packers writer Bud Lea dies at 92 | last = Christl | first = Cliff | author-link = Cliff Christl | date = January 20, 2021 | access-date = March 18, 2024 | website = Packers.com | archive-date = March 16, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240316140832/https://www.packers.com/news/longtime-packers-writer-bud-lea-dies-at-92 | url-status = live }}</ref> Christl later stated that "Lea was known for his thorough, objective and aggressive coverage of the team".<ref name="PACK"/> In 1987, the [[National Sports Media Association|National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association]] named Lea the Wisconsin sportswriter of the year.<ref name="TALES"/> In 2002, Lea wrote ''Magnificent Seven: The Championship Games That Built the Lombardi Dynasty'', a book about the Lombardi era.{{sfn|Lea|2002}} Two years later, he was inducted into the Milwaukee Press Club's Media Hall of Fame.<ref name="TALES"/> At various times in his career, Lea served as a selector or alternate selector for the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], the [[Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame]] and the [[Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame]].<ref name="OBIT"/> In 2020, the Packers Hall of Fame created the annual Bud Lea Media Award.<ref name="TMJ4">{{Cite web | url = https://www.tmj4.com/sports/legendary-milwaukee-sportswriter-bud-lea-will-be-honored-at-packers-hall-of-fame | website = TMJ4.com | title = Legendary Milwaukee sportswriter Bud Lea will be honored at Packers Hall of Fame | date = February 11, 2021 | last = Allan | first = Lance | access-date = March 18, 2024 | archive-date = December 7, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231207170444/https://www.tmj4.com/sports/legendary-milwaukee-sportswriter-bud-lea-will-be-honored-at-packers-hall-of-fame | url-status = live }}</ref> The first award was given to Lea [[Posthumous award|posthumously]] in 2022 after the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] delayed the ceremony for over a year.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-inc | website = Packers.com | title = Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. | access-date = March 19, 2024 | archive-date = February 27, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240227152735/https://www.packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-inc | url-status = live }}</ref>
==Personal life==
While working at the ''Sentinel'', Lea met Filomena Volpintesta. Filomena wrote a column on interior design within the women's department at the newspaper. The two married in 1957 and had two sons.<ref name="WNA"/> Filomena died in 2014.<ref name="TALES"/> Lea contracted [[COVID-19]] near the end of 2020 but recovered.<ref name="PACK"/> He died on January 20, 2021, at the age of 92.<ref name="WNA"/>
==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book| isbn = 978-1572434769 | title = Magnificent Seven: The Championship Games That Built the Lombardi Dynasty | last = Lea | first = Bud | year = 2002 | publisher = Triumph Books}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
*{{Commonscat inline|Bud Lea}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lea, Bud}}
[[Category:Sportswriters from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:History of the Green Bay Packers]]
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]