Mark Montieth

I decided to become a sportswriter at a young age. I liked sports, and writing came more naturally to me than math or science, so once I realized I wasn't going to play in the NBA my career choice was nearly set in stone.

I liked the idea of being paid to go to sporting events, but as the years passed I liked telling the stories of athletes and teams even more. Whether a star performer or the guy at the end of the bench just trying to survive on the team, everyone has a story worth telling. The games all run together after a while, but the human interest stories are forever interesting, both for current and former athletes.

I worked for newspapers in Indiana for 30 years, then left The Indianapolis Star in 2008 to pursue freelance opportunities that were more challenging for me. That included writing more books. A newspaper article is usually forgotten by the next day. Something said on the the radio or television, or proclaimed on social media, is forgotten within seconds. A book, however, has a chance to be read decades later and continue contributing to the public's understanding. Besides, it's the greatest challenge for a writer.

If you're interested, here's my Cliff Notes bio:

Born: Indianapolis, 1955

High School: Pike

College: Indiana University, 1977

Newspaper experience: Marion Chronicle-Tribune; Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette; Indianapolis Star.

I have won numerous writing awards (which doesn't mean all that much, there are so many given out) and am a member of my high school's hall of fame as well as the Indiana Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.

I have written three books:

1. Passion Play: A Season with the Purdue Boilermakers and Coach Gene Keady

2. Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis

3. Extra Innings: My Life in Baseball (with Max Schumacher)

I am working on another book that will cover the Pacers' championship seasons in the American Basketball Association and the personalities of the key players. The research is fun. The writing is difficult, but ultimately rewarding.

I can be reached at markmontieth55@gmail.com.