Art Rust Jr

Arthur George Rust Jr. (born October 13 1927 in Harlem), has had a successful sports career spanning half a century. It all began in Woodside, Queens in September 1954 when WWRL Radio had the prescience to hire Art Rust Jr. He began in their merchandising department, but within two months his iron will and talents got him where he wanted to be: on the air. At WWRL, Rust hosted the Schaefer Circle of Sports for 14 years becoming one of the first African American sportcasters. At WWRL, Rust interviewed sports icons such as Hank Aaron and Sonny Liston. A music lover, Rust had the savvy to mix up his shows with interviews with artists like James Brown and Miles Davis who was also a close friend.

In 1967 Rust landed a coveted position as a sports announcer for NBC-TV. A prestigious position no doubt, but one that left him feeling frustrated at times, "Reading copy didn't really knock me out - there was no challenge. With radio you get to interact, it's what I love most."citequote

After some six years with NBC, Rust found himself hungry for radio again and followed his heart. He went on to work as sports director for WMCA, and as a sportscaster and commentator for WINS radio.

In 1981, he signed on with WABC radio where his "Sportstalk" show proved the perfect showcase for Rust to dazzle listeners with depth and breadth of his knowledge and with his astounding memory for people, places and events. He interviewed everyone from Joe DiMaggio to Muhammad Ali as well Sugar Ray Robinson and one of his idols, famed sportscaster Red Barber. With "Sportstalk" Rust was in his element and the show was a stunning success making him a true sports legend. Callers flooded the lines to ask Art questions and hear his take no prisoners opinions.

Art Rust has been a columnist for the "The New York Amsterdam News" and the "Daily News"; he is also an accomplished author. His first book, the controversially titled "Get that Nigger off the Field", published in 1976, explores the rocky beginnings of blacks in baseball. Other books include "Joe Louis, My Life" (1978), a wonderful collaboration with the Brown Bomber; "Recollections of a Baseball Junkie" (1985) in which Rust waxes poetically about his life; "Art Rust's Illustrated History of the Black Athlete" which celebrates greats such as Jessie Owens and Althea Gibson; and "Darryl" with Darryl Strawberry (1992).

He collaborated successfully with his wife Edna on several of these books prior to her death in 1986. Devastated by the loss, for years after Rust delivered a poignant, "Goodnight Edna baby," at the end of each "Sportstalk" broadcast. After some time, he found a partner in Patty Murphy and remarried in 1991. A loving family man, he is the father of Suzanne Rust, a writer based in New York and grandfather to her two young children.

Art Rust worked with New York's WBLS Radio from 1991 to 1994, but the last few years have found him working selectively; after fifty years in the business, he has earned the right to take it easy. He is a contributor for Black Issues Book Review and a voracious reader who keeps up with the world of sports through books, newspapers and his friends in the business. But perhaps his favorite pastimes are doting on his two grandchildren and listening to his extensive collection of Jazz records.