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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

College football Week 5 preview

This has the makings of a fun weekend in college football. Five games on the docket feature matchups between ranked teams, including two in the top 10.

The 'SEC single-season touchdown passes' quiz

How many of the passing touchdown leaders from the SEC since 1993 can you name in five minutes?

Ranking the last 15 Ryder Cups

Emotional performances, improbable comebacks and bitter rivalries. The Ryder Cup has pretty much seen it all over the years, and especially during the last 15 installments of the event.

10 Ryder Cup matches we'd like to see

There are several reasons to love the Ryder Cup. The passion. The emotion. The fashionable uniforms. Ultimately, however, it winds up being about the pairings and matchups.

Ranking the 2018 Ryder Cup participants

Two years have passed since the United States ended its Ryder Cup drought by beating Europe, at Hazeltine, for its first victory since 2008. Golf's grandest team event heads to France this week , with the Europeans thinking payback while trying to extend the Americans' winless slide across the pond to six consecutive events.

The 'Big 12 leaders in touchdown passes' quiz

How many of the passing touchdown leaders from the Big 12 since 1998 can you name in five minutes?

College football Week 4 preview

Week 3 of the college football season brought with it a couple of high-profile upsets, by BYU and LSU. Will Week 4 have the same in store? A pair of games featuring two ranked teams are on the docket, including one involving two of the most successful coaches in the sport.

The 'Most career RBI for every MLB team' quiz

How many of the career leaders in runs batted in for every MLB franchise can you name in five minutes?

College football Week 3 preview

With the college football season in full swing, Mother Nature is doing her best to interrupt the fun. Three games — No. 18 UCF at North Carolina, East Carolina taking on No.

The top 20 covers of Johnny Cash songs

There are many who believe covering songs by the legendary Johnny Cash is wrong — even downright sacrilegious. But that has not stopped several artists

Sports & Politics Intersect: Nike just does it

"Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt" - Colin Kaepernick Nike has thrown even more fuel onto the ongoing national

College football Week 2 preview

Week 2 of the college football season features many potentially one-sided matchups within the Top 25, but there is a handful of intriguing contests. Two of the nation's top coaches continue their rivalry but in a new setting while two games involving four Top 25 teams highlight action in the SEC and Pac-12.

Best athletes turned analysts

Though it may seem natural that a professional or collegiate athlete would easily transition into a career as a television/radio analyst or commentator, that's not always the case.

Ryder Cup 2018: The case for and against the captains' picks

The Ryder Cup is less than a month away, and while we have a good idea of who will be representing the teams from the United States and Europe, the captains' picks always bring a certain level of intrigue.

The 'College RBs to rush for 2,000 yards' quiz

In the history of college football, a running back has reached 2,000 yards or more in a season 35 times. How many of these 35 can you name in six minutes? 

College football Week 1 preview

The college football season is finally back with a full slate of games this weekend, filled with intriguing contests from coast to coast. Four games feature matchups of two Top 25 teams and one with a pair of squads in the top 10.

Sports & Politics Intersect: L.A. loops in Elon Musk on Dodger Stadium transit

"Always exciting to see innovative ideas like the proposed Dugout Loop to @Dodgers Stadium that could help ease congestion on our roads and make our most

Five things MLB should steal from the Little League World Series

It's time again for the Little League World Series — another opportunity for us middle-aged, former 12-year-old All-Stars to live vicariously through today's youth.

Best all-time performances at the PGA Championship

As the PGA Championship celebrates its 100th tournament, now is the appropriate time to look back at the memorable performances in the tournament's rich history.

10 golfers who could be in the mix for Player of the Year with a PGA Championship win

The PGA Championship, golf's final major of the year — at least for one more season — usually brings with it plenty of intrigue and ramifications for the final stretch run of the season.

Memorable Tiger Woods moments from the PGA Championship

Back in the PGA Championship field for the first time since 2015, Tiger Woods appears poised to make himself relevant once again. A strong showing at last month's Open Championship at Carnoustie made the golf world take notice that Woods still has life left in his game.

PGA Championship contenders by country of origin

Bellerive Country Club in suburban St. Louis plays host to the 100th PGA Championship, and golfers from the United States have won the last two of these tournaments after international competitors took five of the previous seven titles.