When team owner Joe Robbie told Pope and another writer he was looking for a new coach, they suggested Shula, then coach of the Baltimore Colts. But his favorite sport was football, and he wrote most often about the Dolphins or Miami Hurricanes.Īfter Shula joined the Dolphins, he credited Pope with being instrumental in the hire. Pope covered major tournaments in golf and tennis, the Olympics, Triple Crown races, baseball, basketball, boxing and fishing. Whether he doled out criticism or praise, he did so fairly while offering his thoughts to the legions of his readers.'

'For generations, it became a daily ritual to wake up in the morning and immediately turn to Edwin's column in the Herald to get his take on the latest developments in the sports world. 'In an era before talk radio and social media, he was the conscience and the voice of sports fans throughout Miami for over a half century. 'Simply put, Edwin Pope was a giant in the South Florida landscape,' the Dolphins said in a statement. He was a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In 1989, Pope became the youngest winner of the Red Smith Award, given for lifetime achievement in sports journalism. He covered the Miami Dolphins from their first season and recommended Don Shula for their head-coaching job in 1970, a suggestion that transformed the franchise. Pope went into the newspaper business at age 11, was a sports editor at 15 and joined the Herald in 1956.

Pope had battled cancer and died Thursday in Okeechobee, Florida, where he lived in retirement, Herald managing editor Rick Hirsch said Friday. MIAMI - Edwin Pope, an award-winning sports columnist who covered the first 47 Super Bowls and spent more than 50 years with the Miami Herald, has died at 88.

Edwin pope