Colgate curmudgeon Andy Rooney signs off from CBS

Andy Rooney ’42 P’74, GP’05 will announce on Sunday’s “60 Minutes” that it will be his last regular appearance on the news magazine.

The famous Colgate alumnus, who is 92, has been featured on the program since 1978.

Sunday’s appearance will be Rooney’s 1,097th original essay for “60 Minutes,” and will be preceded by a segment in which Rooney looks back on his career in an interview with Morley Safer, CBS News said.

“There’s nobody like Andy and there never will be. He’ll hate hearing this, but he’s an American original,” said Jeff Fager ’77, P’06, chairman of CBS News and the executive producer of “60 Minutes.” “His contributions to ’60 Minutes’ are immeasurable; he’s also a great friend. It’s harder for him to do it every week, but he will always have the ability to speak his mind on ’60 Minutes’ when the urge hits him.”

Fager and more than 800 other alumni, family members, and friends had gathered in New York City last year to pay tribute to Rooney.

He was “roasted” by several other alumni who also have forged high-profile journalism careers, including Bob Woodruff ’83, P’13, Gloria Borger ’74, P’10, and Howard Fineman ’70.

Rooney began his run on “60 Minutes” in July 1978 with an essay about the reporting of automobile fatalities on the Independence Day weekend, according to CBS News. He became a regular feature that fall, alternating weeks with the dueling James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander before getting the end slot all to himself in the fall of 1979.

In Rooney’s first full season as the “60 Minutes” commentator, the broadcast was the No. 1 program for the first time.

In addition to his television work and magazine articles he wrote earlier in his career, Rooney is the author of 16 books, most recently Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit, which was published in 2009.

Read more about Rooney’s illustrious career here.