- Red Smith (sportswriter)
:"For other uses, see:
Red Smith ".Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith (
September 25 1905 inGreen Bay, Wisconsin –January 15 1982 inStamford, Connecticut ) was an American sportswriter who rose to become one of America's most widely read sports columnists.After graduating from
Green Bay East High School , site of Packers home games until 1957, Smith moved on to theUniversity of Notre Dame . After graduation, he worked for the "Milwaukee Sentinel ", "St. Louis Journal ", and "Philadelphia Record ".After 18 years, Smith joined the "
New York Herald Tribune ". He cemented his reputation with the "Herald-Trib", as his column was widely read and often syndicated. When the paper folded in 1966, he became a freelance writer. He joined the "New York Times " in 1971 as a contract writer. By this time, his reputation was secured as one of the foremost sportswriters in America.During his time with the "Times", Smith garnered many awards. In 1976, he was the first sportswriter to win the
Pulitzer Prize for Commentary . He also received theJ. G. Taylor Spink Award from theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Furthermore, theAssociated Press awarded him the firstRed Smith Award for "outstanding contributions to sports journalism."Smith died at the age 76 of heart failure. Red Smith Middle School in Green Bay is named in his honor. Also named in his honor is the
Red Smith Handicap , a race forThoroughbred horses run atBelmont Park onLong Island, New York ."There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." [p. 7, "No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing A Manuscript That Sells", by Alice Orr, Writer's Digest, Cincinnati, 2004]
Red's son,
Terence Smith , went on to be a journalist at "The New York Times", CBS News, PBS, and NPR. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE5D6143FF930A15750C0A96E948260|title=SPORTS PEOPLE; Red Smith Honor|publisher=New York Times|date=1988-03-23]Works
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* "The Best of Red Smith"
* "Red Smith's Sports Annual"
* "Views of Sport"
* "Out of the Red"References
External links
* [http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/spink/smith_red.jsp Baseball Hall of Fame J. G. Taylor Spink Award winner]
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