John Powers

Riggins said, well, I thought we were off the record. And when the guy called me from the TV station and said, John said he thought you were off the record. I said, did he really think I flew to Lawrence, Kansas because I was personally curious about his contract? And that's the only time anybody has ever said to me, geez, I thought we were off the record.

It's the hardest thing you have to do, at least for me. And I have run into it specifically, as I wrote about in the book, with Jim Valvano, who I had a very close relationship with. I would sit in his office when he was the coach at North Carolina State and had won the national championship at three o'clock in the morning and listen to him talk about looking for the next thing in his life.

It's the hardest thing you have to do, at least for me. And I have run into it specifically, as I wrote about in the book, with Jim Valvano, who I had a very close relationship with. I would sit in his office when he was the coach at North Carolina State and had won the national championship at three o'clock in the morning and listen to him talk about looking for the next thing in his life.

It's the hardest thing you have to do, at least for me. And I have run into it specifically, as I wrote about in the book, with Jim Valvano, who I had a very close relationship with. I would sit in his office when he was the coach at North Carolina State and had won the national championship at three o'clock in the morning and listen to him talk about looking for the next thing in his life.

And he felt as if he'd done coaching at the age of 37. And then came this scandal, for lack of a better word, at North Carolina State where the NCAA came in and investigated and Jim eventually was forced to resign. And I wrote at one point that he sounded Nixonian when he was making his excuses for what had gone on at NC State. And he was furious with me. And he said, how could you

And he felt as if he'd done coaching at the age of 37. And then came this scandal, for lack of a better word, at North Carolina State where the NCAA came in and investigated and Jim eventually was forced to resign. And I wrote at one point that he sounded Nixonian when he was making his excuses for what had gone on at NC State. And he was furious with me. And he said, how could you

And he felt as if he'd done coaching at the age of 37. And then came this scandal, for lack of a better word, at North Carolina State where the NCAA came in and investigated and Jim eventually was forced to resign. And I wrote at one point that he sounded Nixonian when he was making his excuses for what had gone on at NC State. And he was furious with me. And he said, how could you

Write that about me. And I said, because I thought, A, I thought it was true, Jim. But beyond that, if I just blindly defended you, then when I legitimately defend you, it'll have no meaning. And he said it would have meant something to me. And that hurt because I liked Jim Valvano. And I understood the point he was making. I thought you were my friend.

Write that about me. And I said, because I thought, A, I thought it was true, Jim. But beyond that, if I just blindly defended you, then when I legitimately defend you, it'll have no meaning. And he said it would have meant something to me. And that hurt because I liked Jim Valvano. And I understood the point he was making. I thought you were my friend.

Write that about me. And I said, because I thought, A, I thought it was true, Jim. But beyond that, if I just blindly defended you, then when I legitimately defend you, it'll have no meaning. And he said it would have meant something to me. And that hurt because I liked Jim Valvano. And I understood the point he was making. I thought you were my friend.

And then you turned around and called me Nixonian. And it was a very hard thing for me emotionally to deal with. And we did before he died of cancer in 1993. We mended the fence. And in fact, Jim, the last time I ever spoke to him said, you were probably a better friend to me than the people around me who were telling me I hadn't done anything wrong.

And then you turned around and called me Nixonian. And it was a very hard thing for me emotionally to deal with. And we did before he died of cancer in 1993. We mended the fence. And in fact, Jim, the last time I ever spoke to him said, you were probably a better friend to me than the people around me who were telling me I hadn't done anything wrong.

And then you turned around and called me Nixonian. And it was a very hard thing for me emotionally to deal with. And we did before he died of cancer in 1993. We mended the fence. And in fact, Jim, the last time I ever spoke to him said, you were probably a better friend to me than the people around me who were telling me I hadn't done anything wrong.

But it is a very hard line to figure out which side of it you belong on.

But it is a very hard line to figure out which side of it you belong on.

But it is a very hard line to figure out which side of it you belong on.

You know, I don't think anybody who does what I do has ever really known Tiger. I do vividly remember the first time I ever saw Tiger Woods because it turned out to be a little bit of a harbinger in a way. He was still an amateur. He was just a kid. He was 18. He probably looked 12 at the time. He was playing in Arnold Palmer's tournament down at Bay Hill in 1994.

You know, I don't think anybody who does what I do has ever really known Tiger. I do vividly remember the first time I ever saw Tiger Woods because it turned out to be a little bit of a harbinger in a way. He was still an amateur. He was just a kid. He was 18. He probably looked 12 at the time. He was playing in Arnold Palmer's tournament down at Bay Hill in 1994.

You know, I don't think anybody who does what I do has ever really known Tiger. I do vividly remember the first time I ever saw Tiger Woods because it turned out to be a little bit of a harbinger in a way. He was still an amateur. He was just a kid. He was 18. He probably looked 12 at the time. He was playing in Arnold Palmer's tournament down at Bay Hill in 1994.

And I was working on A Good Walk Spoiled, my first golf book. And I was standing on the range with three players, Davis Love, Billy Andrade, Jeff Sluman. And Billy Andrade kind of tapped me on the shoulder and said, see that kid down there? And I looked down and there was this skinny kid hitting balls. And I said, yeah. And he said, that's the next one. That's Tiger Woods. And I'd heard the name.