Yardbarker

Jeff Mezydlo

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University

EXPERTISE:

NCAA football, NCAA basketball, PGA/LPGA, international soccer, sports history, rock music, film history

Phil Mickelson through the years

Before Mickelson aims to add to his legacy at the famed Georgia course, let's take a look at how "Lefty" got to this point — as one of the greatest golfers of all time.

Surprising facts about the Academy of Country Music Awards nominees

Country music fans want to know everything about their favorite artists - and probably do. However, what about the causal country fan or those new to the genre looking for a crash course on country music biggest and brightest stars?

Predicting winners of the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards

The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards will be held April 7, in Las Vegas. Country legend Reba McEntire is hosting, and plenty of the genre's biggest stars will perform, including Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and McEntire herself.

Ranking the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards nominees by Twitter followers

Country music fans are arguably the most dedicated and devoted in all of the industry. It tends to be personal with the artists, perhaps because the music is more relateable compared to other genres.

The best LPGA golfers of all time

Women's golf has blossomed into an international game, especially in the Asian markets where it has become an obsession for some. While its future looks bright, it's fun to look back and honor the past.

Music's most well known power couples

Couples in bands don't always work out, but most of the time they make for great drama and even better rock music....

The 25 best players in the 2019 women's NCAA Tournament

The field is set, seeds have been made and the road to a national championship has been paved. While there seems to be five, perhaps six, teams with a legitimate chance at winning a national title 2019, there is obviously plenty of exceptional individual talent loading the field.

The most memorable women's NCAA Tournament moments

Vefore we prepare for the future, it's fun to look back at the past — to those fantastic finishes, milestone performances and dominant team efforts.

The best drinking, pub and last-call songs

Many believe everything is better with alcohol...especially those who just turned 21. The same can be said for music. What happens when we mix the two?

The 25 best women's NCAA Tournament players of all time

Let's celebrate the greatest women's NCAA Tournament players in history.

Yardbarker's 2018-19 college basketball All-America teams

As we approach the start of both the women's and men's NCAA Tournaments, it's time to highlight some of the best in the college game. There have been plenty of stellar individual performances this season, mostly from the veterans on the women's side, while some highly touted freshmen have lived up to their preseason billing for the men.

The 25 greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history

We're likely to see some great shots that will deliver lasting memories of victory for some and the disappointment of defeat for others. From deep threes to off-balance attempts to coast-to-coast drives, here's a look at 25 of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history.

The top 25 NCAA men's tournament moments

It's truly one of the best times of the year for a sports fan, and over time there have been plenty of unforgettable plays, shots and victories from a tournament that seems to make time stop for those involved and those watching.

The 'NHL career points leaders' quiz

In NHL history, 49 players have reached the 1,200-point plateau over the course of their careers. How many of the 49 can you name in six minutes?

All-time best bands from the Pacific Northwest

When talking about the music scene of the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S., it's easy to immediately go to Jimi Hendrix (whose "Experience" was formed in England) and grunge.

Child actors who grew up to be successful entertainers

Here's a look some of the more notable and memorable child actors who have either maintained or regained some level of success into adulthood as entertainers or behind the camera.

The greatest holes in tournament golf

What makes a golf hole great? The answers are plenty. Beauty, difficulty, history — all are included in the description and even more depending on preference and opinion.

The 'Most career receiving yards by a TE for every NFL franchise' quiz

How many of the tight ends with the most career receiving yards for every NFL franchise can you name in five minutes?

Famous bands whose members were in other famous bands

Most musicians dream of spending just a little time in a successful band. Those fortunate to find themselves in two — or more — famous bands better be thanking some almighty power before they go to bed tonight.

Major-conference tournament sleepers

There's still a little time left before college basketball's Championship Week, a pleasant prelude to the NCAA Tournament. By now we know who the favorites are in the major conference tournaments: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.

The top golfers under age 25

With Tiger Woods back to prominence, fans are once again tuned into professional golf to see when his next victory will come. While watching, they'll likely catch a glimpse of some of the young rising stars on the PGA Tour — much like Woods was back in the late 1990s.

Bracket-busters and mid-majors you need to know come March

One of the fun parts of the college basketball postseason is trying to figure out who the next Cinderella team — or teams — will be, come March: that low seed with nothing to lose or a mid-major squad that has been building up to something great.