Maj Sjöwall, co-author (with Per Wahlöö) of the Martin Beck series of Swedish police procedurals.
With their first novel, “Roseanna” (1965), about the strangling death of a young tourist, Ms. Sjowall and Per Wahloo, her writing and domestic partner, introduced Martin Beck, an indefatigable, taciturn homicide detective in Stockholm.
“He is not a heroic person,” Ms. Sjowall (pronounced SHO-vall) told the British newspaper The Telegraph in 2015. “He is like James Stewart in some American films, just a nice guy trying to do his job.”
In terse, fast-moving prose, the couple wrote nine more Beck books, including “The Laughing Policeman,” which won the Edgar Award in 1971 for best mystery novel and was made into a film in 1973 starring Walter Matthau, with its setting moved from Stockholm to San Francisco. Several Swedish movies and a TV series, “Beck,” have been made based on the novels.
Shula won an NFL-record 347 games, including including playoff games. He coached the Dolphins to the league’s only undefeated season (17-0) in 1972, culminating in a 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
The Dolphins repeated as champions the next season, beating the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII, the third straight title game Miami had played in; the Dolphins lost 24-3 to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI.
In all, Shula guided the Dolphins to five Super Bowls, including losses to the Redskins (27-17 in Super Bowl XVII) and San Francisco 49ers (38-16 in Super Bowl XIX).
I live in Michigan, and am a Detroit Lions and Tigers fan for life. Of course, I am often disappointed at seasons end, but hey, we are used to it. But in 1972, at the age of 12, I was a Dolphins junkie. I remember watching them play, and their players, Larry Czonka, Paul Warfield, Bob Greise, Earl Morrall, Mercury Morris. Earl Morrall, a fantastic second string quarterback, started most of the games for the Dolphins that season, due to Greise being hurt.
An interesting thing of note, I was born and live my first 30 years in a small town here in Michigan, called Hesperia. I then moved 40 miles south, to the city of Muskegon, where I had worked since age 18. Earl Morrall was born and raised in Muskegon, and took the Muskegon Heights football team to a state championship in 1951, then went to Michigan State, where he played both football and baseball, and was offered professional contracts in both sports.
He was a man of great character, and personified the Don Shula leadership in Miami, when he finally arrived there, after bouncing around the league for some years.
One thing that does remind one of their age, is the dying of the heroes of their youth. Best wishes to you, and stay healthy.
Thank you, pigpen51. I’m glad you’re doing okay: I really enjoy your comments here, and I hope that you keep commenting for a long time.