Former Tribune and Daily Herald Writer

John Mullin, 74, died Sunday after a long career covering the Bears in print and on televsion.

Longtime Bears writer and Chicago area journalist John Mullin died Sunday at the age of 74 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Dan Pompei of The Athletic reported Mullin's passing Sunday afternoon, saying via Twitter that "Moon" had been surrounded by loved ones at his death.

Mullin had been diagnosed in 2019 with Stage 4 cancer and staged a valiant fight. 

Mullin had been an insider for Comcast Sports Net in Chicago and was among the game day contributors after reporting on the Bears for the Tribune and Daily Herald since the early 1990s.

A 1965 graduate of Niles Notre Dame and a graduate of University of Dayton, Mullin started a sports writer career covering the team for the Arlington Heights Daily Herald in 1992 and in 1997 moved on to the Tribune. He spent more than 11 years with the Tribune and went into digital media and television for NBC Sports Chicago.

Mullin won awards from the Pro Football Writers of America, wrote four books and won an Emmy for his work on Fox-TV's Bears Insider pregame show. A former tennis pro, a golfer, fisherman, and a guitar player who was in a band, Mullin was known on the football beat for his devotion to cycling.

Besides the Bears, Mullin provided coverage of Chicago's baseball teams and also college sports at times in his career. While battling cancer a year ago, Mullin started a series of videos on YouTube entitled "Attitude Over Cancer," and remained positive about his situation throughout his battle.

Mullin is survived by his wife, Carolyn, his daughter Jennifer (Grabmeier), stepdaughter Alyssa (Schauer), siblings Ann and Tom and grandchildren Yohan, Simone, and Teo Schauer. 

Visitation is Monday, June 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Donnellan Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL 60077. A funeral mass will be held June 28 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 1775 Grove Street, Glenview, IL 60025. Interment is private at All Saints Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Pancreatic Cancer Research or the American Cancer Society are appreciated.

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