Fresh out of the University of Wisconsin, Carmichael joined the Chicago Herald Examiner in 1924 after a brief stint with the Milwaukee Leader. Five years later, he started a 43-year stand as a columnist (“The Barber Shop”) and later sports editor for the Chicago Daily News. Known for poking fun rather than malice, near the end of his career he said, “I take pride in the fact that never in my 40 years did I use my column to attack anyone.” For many years he and his boss, Lloyd Lewis, jousted in print, Carmichael covering the Cubs and Lewis the White Sox. Carmichael was given the J.G. Taylor Spink Award in 1974.
