Identifying commonly-known people

I never assume people know who everyone is. So on first ref at least say Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. After that, just call him Mr. Sweater Vest.

 

Head coach of what? The badmitton team? The bocce ball club?

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel.

After that, Tressel. If you're fixin' for a libel suit and you work at a newspaper with heavy readership in Ann Arbor, feel free to call him douchebag on later refs.

 

The artist formerly known as Prince

 

Rickey Henderson's strike zone is as small as former German Furor Adolf Hitler's heart....

 

What's with all the furor over Hitler?

 

The phrase "head coach" is one of my pet peeves. I prefer just "coach" and then "assistant coach," "linebackers coach," etc. etc. I think there are coaches and then assistants.

Just like "basketball" and "women's basketball" but that's another thread

 

Depends on your publication and audience, of course. However, for practical purposes, I think you answer the question for yourself in the thread title. If the figure is "commonly known" it isn't typically necessary. I consistently edit stuff like "New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter" in ledes to shorten them. Sometimes I like to drop it in an attribution later in the story: "..," the Yankees' shortstop said.

 

He was OK at first, but then he went too far.