Jack Todd

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jack Todd (born 1946 in Nebraska) is an award-winning sports columnist for the Montreal Gazette since 1986. Todd was an American citizen who deserted from the U.S. Army to avoid being sent to fight during the Vietnam War. He is now a Canadian citizen.

Todd was born in the United States, and graduated from the University of Nebraska where he was a track and field athlete — competing in the high jump, triple jump, and the 400 metres.

He worked as a journalist for the Akron Beacon-Journal, the Detroit Free Press, and the Miami Herald. He left the U.S. Army in 1970 to avoid being sent to Vietnam and settled in Vancouver, BC. Since moving to Canada, he has worked for the Vancouver Sun, Radio Canada International, and the Gazette, since 1986.

In 1999, Tood was honoured with the National Newspaper Award for sportswriting.

In 2001, he published a memoir, telling the story of his desertion. The Canadian title is The Taste of Metal, while the U.S. title is Desertion : In the Time of Vietnam. He received the Mavis Gallant Award for non-fiction for the book.