James "Radio" Kennedy

Radio Kennedy
Born
James Robert Kennedy

October 14, 1946
Anderson, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 15, 2019 (aged 73)
Anderson, South Carolina, U.S.
Known forAssociation with the T. L. Hanna High School football team;
Subject of Radio

James Robert "Radio" Kennedy (October 14, 1946 – December 15, 2019) was an American man with an intellectual disability who was known for his association with the T. L. Hanna High School football team in Anderson, South Carolina.[1] He first gained prominence in 1996 when Gary Smith wrote an article about Kennedy for Sports Illustrated titled "Someone to Lean On."[2][1][3] Kennedy's story was then made into a feature film in 2003 titled Radio in which he was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.[4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ a b Levenson, Eric (15 December 2019). "James 'Radio' Kennedy, football fixture who inspired a Hollywood movie, dies at 73". CNN. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. ^ Smith, Gary (December 16, 1996). "Someone to Lean On". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nyt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ O'Kane, Caitlin (16 December 2019). "James "Radio" Kennedy, staple of South Carolina high school football team who inspired 2003 film, has died". CBS News. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. ^ Negley, Cassandra (16 December 2019). "James Kennedy, high school football fixture who inspired film 'Radio', dies at 73". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. ^ Butler, Karen (15 December 2019). "Film inspiration James 'Radio' Kennedy dead at 73". United Press International. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  7. ^ Peter, Josh (15 December 2019). "Reporter recalls the man and the story that became inspiration for the movie 'Radio'". The Ithaca Journal. Retrieved 5 June 2020.