His distinctive writing style graced the pages of Sports Illustrated for a dozen years until July 2001, when he left the magazine to concentrate on writing books. His latest work, At the Altar of Speed:The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt,was published in October 2001.

Before his stint at SI, Montville spent 21 years as a columnist for the Boston Globe.

Montville feels that his reporting on Super Bowl Sunday in the midst of the Persian Gulf War was his most significant piece of work for Sports Illustrated. He also points to his story that he filed from the Arctic Circle as one of his most compelling pieces. Montville's most memorable sports moment dates back to 1980 when the USA hockey team won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

A native of New Haven, Conn., and a graduate of the University of Connecticut, Montville enjoys playing basketball and golf. He resides in Massachusetts and has two children.