Theo Koomen

Theo Koomen

Theodorus Wilhelmus Koomen (born May 20, 1929 in Wervershoof , † April 5, 1984 in Schermerhorn , province of North Holland ) was a radio reporter from the Netherlands .

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Koomen grew up in an extended Roman Catholic family and was supposed to be a priest . He attended a seminary from 1942 to 1947 , but dropped out for various reasons. Shortly afterwards Koomen had to stay in a sanatorium in Beek- Ubbergen for a period of time because of a lung disease . Then he decided to become a journalist. At first he worked for regional newspapers : the Noordhollands Dagblad from his native area and for a newspaper from Dordrecht . Then he became a sports editor at the renowned Volkskrant . In particular, cycling , speed skating and football were his favorite subjects. Theo Koomen married on September 13, 1956; the marriage remained childless. Koomens preference did not change when he began to make reports of sporting events on Dutch radio in 1966 for the KRO , later for the TROS and the NOS , and later also occasionally on television. On April 4, 1984, he was in a car accident on the way back from a report. A day later, he succumbed to the injuries sustained. A monument for Theo Koomen was erected in his birthplace Wervershoof.

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Theo Koomen was extremely enthusiastic, lively and colorful in his radio reports, which were mostly broadcast live. In this regard, he was a successor to his colleague Han Hollander , who also added the reality with fantasy and humor, so that the reports were much more attractive and exciting for the audience than if only the real events were described. Koomen did not shy away from criticism either: in 1974 he wrote a controversial book 25 jaar doping , about doping problems in cycling. A year later he wrote a critical book about his youth God bewaar me , in which he also touched upon the subject of homosexuality among Catholic clergy. From 1966 to 1983 Koomen was almost always a radio reporter for the Tour de France . There he was sometimes able to satisfy his taste for gastronomy. Theo Koomen was also a warm, open-minded personality and one of the most popular journalists of the time among the Dutch people. Theo Koomens live coverage of the European Cup football match on May 6, 1970, between Feyenoord Rotterdam and Celtic Glasgow (2-1 after extra time), was recorded on vinyl .

On the weekend after his death, a minute's silence was observed in front of all football players in the Dutch honorary division , which was still an exception at the time.