The AJC’s Mark Bradley missing the press box? Not a chance, goodbye is goodbye.

In an occupation where no one ever really retires, Mark Bradley did. And like the legendary actress Greta Garbo, there have been no public sightings.

“I got lucky.” Bradley wrote in his last paragraph from his final Atlanta Journal Constitution column, December 30, 2024, “I stumbled into the world’s best job. Thanks for allowing me to become a small part of your life. Please know you were a huge part of mine.” 

For more than 40 years, the Kentucky native and one-time aspiring lawyer was a star AJC columnist whose opinion mattered to athletes, coaches, team executives, and sports fans. 
Mark’s influence was culled by decades of local coverage, and a time when newspapers were still "king".

The AJC sports department in the late 1980’s was massive, packed with some of the nation's greatest writers. Its influence could be felt every day, and the rest of us in Atlanta media mattered less. 

But change was coming. Newspapers, their influence and hold on the country would erode in the years ahead as technology developed and information consumption evolved away from print. 

Still, voices like Bradley mattered, as did newspaper columnist stars read for generations. 

11 months before his death at 93, I chatted with AJC legend Furman Bisher under the giant oak tree outside the Augusta National Clubhouse during Masters Week. He scoffed when I brought up retirement. 

Historically, celebrated newspaper men and women never retire. They continue until their fingers no longer curl on the keyboard.

Today, with newspapers struggling to stay afloat, well known writers host podcasts or appear on social media or cable television.

Not Bradley. When I asked him about the issue, he says he was finished.

Jeff Hullinger: As a young, aspiring writer from Kentucky, how did you get to the AJC in 1984? 

Mark Bradley: I’d been at the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1978. In January 1984, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution contacted my pal Rick Bozich of the Louisville Times about a job. Rick wasn’t interested. I asked if he’d mind if I gave the AJC a call. He said he wouldn’t. I made the call. I started here on March 5, 1984.

With the football season beginning, do you miss the press box? 

Not at all. The older I got, the more I sweated the logistics. How early do I need to leave? How far will I have to walk? (Over the years, press parking grew more distant.) If it’s a night game, can I get all the way home –night vision becomes an issue with age, I’m here to tell you – or do I need to stop at a hotel? If so, where? At the start of my career, I lived for game days. At the end, I dreaded them. 

College basketball was always a passion for you. Your voice mattered to the great coaching names. Favorite story? 

I’m not sure how much I mattered, but I do remember this. The SEC held its 1996 media day in Birmingham. I wasn’t there, but I saw a quote from Eddie Fogler, then coaching South Carolina, about the worth of writers’ predictions. “Mark Bradley wrote that the World Series was over after the Braves won the first two games.” (Spoiler alert: It wasn’t over.) I saw him at the next SEC Tournament and introduced myself, as we hadn’t officially met. I said, “You know, a lot of other writers wrote the same thing after Game 2.” He said, “Yeah, but you’re the only one I read.” I loved him for that.

Among the legends of the Atlanta newspaper business, you are in select company of longevity and influence, Is that meaningful to you?  

Not to quibble, but I don’t consider myself a legend. Furmer Bisher: legend. Dave Kindred: legend. I considered myself A Guy In The Newspaper.

How do you frame your professional life? Are you reflective about your AJC career? As a lead columnist of 40+ years, a very rare accomplishment.  

I got lucky. I had the job I wanted at the place I wanted to be – for 40 years, nine months and 26 days. I’m immensely proud of that, and I’ll be forever grateful to the AJC for sticking with me.

How long have you been retired from the AJC? What have you been doing? 

 I’ve spent the past 18 months reading books, watching movies, and listening to music. Put another way, I’ve spent the time not writing. I thought I would miss that part of it, but I haven’t. Counting my time at the Herald-Leader, I worked at a daily newspaper for 47 years. That might just have been enough.

Favorite column? 

Long after Larry Munson retired as Georgia’s play-by-play voice/fretter-in-chief, I wondered how it might sound if he “called” the Bulldogs’ upcoming SEC Championship Game. I tried to write it in his voice, with his idiosyncrasies. “Get the picture,” it began. When it was finished, I was sure it was the worst thing I’d ever done. I begged the editors to tell me if it was. Carolyn Warmbold assured me it wasn’t. I got a ton of emails afterward, every one of them complimentary. I’ve kept that file. 

When influential big city newspaper columnists retire and move on, the next forum (podcasts, books, television) becomes their "next chapter." Why don't we see or hear from you?  

Everybody has a podcast. I’ve never been able to think of a book I could write that I’d want to buy. I’m bad on TV. And I have the sneaking suspicion the Atlanta audience has heard enough from me.

Do you wake up some days and want to write about the ever-changing environment of college football?  Is NIL threatening the sport? 

If I wrote about the ever-changing environment of college football, I’d come across as the world’s crabbiest human Let's leave it at this: I now hate college football.

Newsmakers here deeply cared about your opinion and always seeking your favor . Who were your favorites and least favorites?

Again, I’m not sure they cared much or sought anything at all. But, since you asked, I always considered Dan Reeves a real pro. He didn’t care what people wrote. As a combination of coach and human being, it’d be hard to top Tubby Smith. And let’s not forget Eddie Fogler, discerning reader. I was never big on Jerry Glanville, but you knew that already. 

Vince Dooley had great respect for you and Bobby Cox too, what about these men were unique beyond the obvious success of their occupations? 

Vince had such a lively mind. He knew an awful lot about an awful lot of things. Bobby was the greatest handler of people and judge of character I’ve ever known.

Ever have an athlete or coach attempt to intimidate you in locker rooms?

 Yes, a few. But then again, too few to mention. 

For those working in 1980's Atlanta sports media, the talented Deion Sanders was a revolutionary figure among star athletes, would you have been surprised in 1989 (year drafted by Falcons) to know he would still be impacting in 2026?

I went to Hartsfield to see him step off the plane that Sunday in 1989 because it was clear he’d be huge. I asked him to go through the several necklaces he was wearing, and he was happy to oblige. There would come a time when he would be less thrilled to see me, but that’s neither here nor there. He was a great player. He has become a good coach. Credit where’s it due.

Surprised by the on-field struggles of the Falcons under Arthur Blank's ownership? The off-field franchise presence has been great but....

On the night of Feb. 5, 2017, some of us geniuses were heard to say, “They might never recover from this.” As hyperbolic as that might have sounded, there has been no recovery from 28-3. The Falcons have had eight consecutive losing seasons, matching the franchise nadir. The Kirk Cousins/Michael Penix Jr. offseason is a test case in mismanagement. They really need Kevin Stefanski to hit big. 

The Braves Truist Park/Battery has become the envy of the American sports business, hard to imagine such a move 30 years ago, 1990's winning opened many doors.

The ballpark is nice. The Battery is fabulous, and I say that as a Cobb Countian of 42 years. 

Will newspapers survive? Is sports journalism dead? Do fans care?  Replaced by opinion on X (Twitter) and cable television? 

 Newspapers will survive in some form, though not necessarily in print. Sports journalism isn’t dead, but it has changed. I’m not sure if fans care, but they should.

Teams now have their own "reporters," access mostly determined by organizations, political coverage looks that way too. Does truth get buried in this restrictive control?

You’re trying to get me into trouble, aren’t you? You media people are alike

 If you had a son or daughter interested in journalism school, what would you tell them in 2026? 

I have a 16-year-old granddaughter who’s interested in graphic design. Sounds good to me.