Dan Pompei

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Dan Pompei

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The beat is heavy in the control room of the L. Austin Weeks Recording Studio at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. Dolphins outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips sits in front of three mixing consoles and what must be a thousand knobs, levers, dials and buttons. The wallpaper on his laptop reads "Don't Overthink S-."He cues up a song called "Destiny" that he tracked and mixed.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Dan Pompei

In a banquet room decorated for Christmas, a group of coaches' kids were entertained by Santa Claus. There were awesome presents for the Michigan football team - high-end swag, including commemorative watches. The Wolverines were gathered at the Eden Roc Hotel Miami Beach the night before Christmas to prepare to play Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl, and this was a night of celebration. John Spytek, though, wasn't feeling very festive. He wouldn't be playing in the game.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Dan Pompei

After losses, Steve McMichael sat alone in front of his locker in his dirty Bears uniform long after most teammates departed. Dried blood marked the thighs of his white pants. Tape dangled from his joints. Bags of ice covered his knees. He stared a hole in the floor about 20 feet in front of him. It was as if he were somewhere else, oblivious, with an invisible shield around him. He didn't experience losing very often. In his entire college career, his teams lost one time.

Feb 14, 2025 | nytimes.com | Dan Pompei

DES PLAINES, Ill. - They came in droves to say goodbye to the daughter of George Halas, the matriarch of the Chicago Bears, Mrs. McCaskey to all who were not kin. The wake for Virginia Halas McCaskey was open to the public on Tuesday, and there were so many mourners that they had to park a block away at Mystic Waters Family Aquatic Center. The funeral home couldn't fit everyone, so they were directed to a holding area in a tent where the line snaked around like airport security on a Monday morning.

Feb 7, 2025 | ourcommunitynow.com | Dan Pompei

Share On the worn grass of Soldier Field, four generations of the McCaskey family gathered in the early evening of Jan. 21, 2007. At their center was their matriarch, Virginia McCaskey.The snow, falling gently, glistened and her eyes sparkled.She wore her mother Min’s fur coat, looking every bit like the first lady of the NFL that she was. The Bears — her Bears — had just defeated the Saints in the NFC Championship Game for the right to advance to play the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.