Humberto Ahumada Acevedo, the journalist known to colleagues and readers as "Tito Norte", died this Friday at 91. He had received the National Sports Journalism Award in 2016.
According to Cooperativa, the Sports Journalists' Association (CPD), the professional association representing sports reporters in Chile, announced the news.
Ahumada was born in Antofagasta on January 29, 1935. His first job in journalism came in 1955, at the newspaper El Espectador, beginning six decades in the profession, according to BioBioChile.
The list of newsrooms where he worked is extensive. He wrote for La Segunda, Las Últimas Noticias, La Tercera, La Nación, Fortín Mapocho and The Clinic. He also wrote for the magazines Estadio, Gol y Gol, Triunfo and Hoy, and worked at the radio stations La Clave, Agricultura and Santiago.
His specialty was basketball. BioBioChile, citing Onda Expansiva, described him as one of the journalists with the greatest knowledge and depth of analysis in the sport. The outlet also recalled his close professional and personal relationship with Julio Martínez.
Within the profession, he led the CPD between 1972 and 1985, years during which he remained an opponent of the dictatorship. That same organization honored him with the national award in 2016.
His work beyond current affairs included biographies of athletes, such as one devoted to Olympic boxer Carlos Lucas. He also took part in research for the book "History of Chilean Sport, Between Hope and Passion" and contributed to "80 Years, Sport and Journalism in Chile", published by the CPD in 2018.
He also worked at the National Sports Institute and, in his final working years, proofread at The Clinic.
His wake is being held at San Ignacio Church, at Padre Alonso de Ovalle 1494, Santiago. The funeral will be on Sunday, October 11, with Mass at 11:00 and subsequent transfer to the General Cemetery.
