Tank McNamara
By Bill Hinds | 8.5K FollowersAbout Tank McNamara
Sports is Tank McNamara’s beat, his livelihood. A former professional football player who’s now a TV sportscaster, Tank McNamara reports on the breaking sports stories of the day: the hot players and angry coaches, the pending lawsuits and drawn-out strikes, the constant roar and ever-increasing hype that make organized sports one of the world’s most lucrative businesses.
Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds have displayed a knack for finding the absurdity in big-time athletics and using it to turn sports fans into devoted readers—especially with the ever-popular "Sports Jerk of the Year" contest, which attracts thousands of nominations from readers each year.
Meet Bill Hinds
Bill Hinds has successfully merged the sports and comics worlds in his cartooning career. Hinds is the co-creator, with the late Jeff Millar, of "Tank McNamara," which provides sizzling satire of the absurdities in big-time athletics and has been running in more than 300 papers since 1975.
Hinds was born in Houston in 1950. He graduated with a degree in fine arts from Stephen F. Austin State University and served on the boards of the National Cartoonists Society and the Newspaper Features Council.
Hinds met Jeff Millar in 1973 when Millar was looking for a collaborator for an adult-oriented comic strip about sports. “Tank McNamara” began syndication through Universal Press Syndicate in August 1974. The strip is beloved by sports fans and, in 1987, “Tank McNamara” was named Sports Cartoon of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society.
Hinds also writes and draws the popular cartoon feature “Buzz Beamer” for Sports Illustrated for Kids, which won the 2001 New Media division award at the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Awards. From 2001 to 2010, Hinds also wrote and illustrated “Cleats.”
Hinds is a big supporter of the U.S. military troops and their many sacrifices. He toured Iraq with other cartoonists in 2010 to show his support and gratitude for their service.
Outside of cartooning, Hinds enjoys playing tennis and spending time with his wife and three children. They currently live in Spring, Texas.
Cast of Characters
Tank McNamara
A former pro football player who played college ball at Enormous State University, TV sportscaster Tank McNamara reports on breaking sports news: hot players and angry coaches, pending lawsuits and drawn-out strikes, and the constant roar and ever-increasing hype that make organized sports a lucrative business.