Darrell L. Christian, a former executive editor and sports editor of The Associated Press who worked for the news agency for more than 40 years and was known for his rigorous demeanor and commitment to excellence, died Monday. He was 75 years old.
Christian died of Parkinson’s disease at Elegant Senior Living in Encino, California, according to his wife, Lisa Morrow Christian, who said he had been diagnosed with the disease around 2015.
“Darrell was the best story editor I ever knew, with a keen instinct for lead and structure and a penchant for nothing less than the best,” said Mike Silverman, who served as Associated Press editor from 2000 to 2007 and then managing editor until 2009. “I had the good fortune to serve as his deputy editor for several years while he was managing editor, and I owe much of what I later brought to the job to him.”
A no-nonsense editor known for his candor and rigor, Christian modernized AP’s sports coverage during his seven years at the helm, focusing on breaking news and in-depth coverage of issues such as the business of sports, academics and high school safety standards, which earned him a promotion to managing editor under then-managing editor William E. Ahern.
“Sports is just a different flavor of hard news,” Christian told the National Press Club in 2007.
Christian was born December 26, 1948 in Henderson, Kentucky. He began his newspaper career in 1964 as a sports reporter and sports editor for the Henderson Gleaner, worked for the Associated Press in Charleston, West Virginia for two years, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 1969. After serving in the Navy from 1969 to 1972, he joined the Associated Press in Indianapolis in 1972. He became news editor in 1975, transferred to the Washington bureau in 1980, and became associate sports editor in New York the following year.
Christian was promoted to sports editor in 1985 and coordinated coverage of the 1988 and 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics and oversaw the addition of feature stories to match coverage of all major sporting events, something he also incorporated into news stories as editor in chief.
“After Jackie Robinson, sports started to foster a social consciousness,” Christian told the National Press Club. “In the 1970s and early ’80s, live television brought sporting events into living rooms, money flowed into sports, free agency created a generation of billionaires, and it was no longer enough to know what went on behind the scenes. It created an appetite for everything people wanted to know about athletes.”
Mr. Christian, or “DLC,” as he was known at the Associated Press, was known for his sharp, pithy critiques, sent to reporters in blue envelopes in the pre-digital era. “Blue Note” was feared among staffers.
Christian said the biggest story he covered as a sports editor was when Ben Johnson tested positive for banned steroids at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, which led to him being banned from the Olympics. Work for 48 hours straightAmong his major stories as editor-in-chief was the O. J. Simpson case, the coverage of which he commanded with authority.
“It was the circus of the century. It was exhausting to cover it every single day,” Christian said.
Christian succeeded Martin C. Thompson as editor in chief in 1992 and served as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize judging committee in 1995 and 1996.
“Darrell was a traditional, competitive reporter who cared about getting original stories to readers quickly,” said Kathleen Carroll, Associated Press managing editor from 2002 to 2016. Those values permeated every decision he made as he led state, national and sports coverage: write interestingly, write succinctly, and get it out the door. His gruff appearance and quirky sense of humor barely concealed his deep commitment to fast, accurate, interesting stories and the people who wrote them.”
After six years as editor in chief, Jonathan P. Wollman succeeded Christian as director of MegaSports, The Associated Press’ multimedia sports service for newspaper and broadcast subscribers, commercial online services and websites.
“Darrell combined old-school editing skills with a passion for staying on top of the latest innovations that were helping the AP stay competitive at the dawn of the Internet news age,” said Michael Giarrusso, an Associated Press deputy reporter for global coverage who worked under Christian. “He was as comfortable editing the lead of a story as he was meeting with tech startups that wanted access to AP news and photos.”
Christian became business editor in 2000 and in 2003 was named director of sports data for the newly created role that combined AP Digital’s MegaSports service with AP’s newspaper Sports Agate service.
“Behind the surly, old-school reporter exterior was an editor who was a mentor to the next generation of journalists,” said Brian Orefice, former data manager at the now-rebranded digital company Stats Perform and now vice president of product. “His professional credentials were unquestionable, and his advice was invaluable.”
Christian became executive editor in 2006 and established AP’s top news desk in 2008, which he managed until his retirement in 2014 when he moved to California.
“Darrell never stopped doing what he loved, which was editing and illustrating,” Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson said. “He valued details that worked as adjectives, and he had an incredible knack for knowing what the story was and how to get there. He made us better.”
Christian lived at home in Encino, went to the gym and played golf and softball before being admitted to Encino Hospital Medical Center on May 24. He was transferred to a rehabilitation facility a few weeks later and then to a senior care facility on June 25.
Christian’s first marriage ended in divorce. He met Lisa Morrow while overseeing Associated Press coverage at the 1984 Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida; she was a reporter for the radio station. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother Scott and niece Erica Whitman.
