Allison Danzig
Allison Danzig was a prominent American sportswriter whose career spanned much of the twentieth century, marked by his influential tenure at The New York Times from 1923 to 1968. Born in 1898 in Waco, Texas, Danzig's early life was shaped by his ambition for sports journalism, which began with his role at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. His educational journey included a stint at Cornell University, interrupted by World War I, where he served as a second lieutenant. A versatile writer, Danzig covered a variety of sports, including football, tennis, and baseball, and became an expert in indoor sports such as squash and racquets.
Danzig authored several significant publications, including "The Racquet Game" in 1930, and contributed to various esteemed magazines, showcasing his breadth of knowledge and passion for sports. His accomplishments earned him numerous accolades, including election to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame and the establishment of awards in his honor, reflecting his lasting impact on sports journalism. After retiring to Ridgewood, New Jersey, he continued to contribute to the literary sports community until his passing in 1987. Danzig's legacy endures as a testament to his dedication to the craft of sportswriting and his profound influence on the field.
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Subject Terms
Allison Danzig
Writer
- Born: February 27, 1898
- Birthplace: Waco, Texas
- Died: January 27, 1987
- Place of death: Ridgewood, New Jersey
Biography
Allison Danzig was one of the most celebrated and enduring American sportswriters of the twentieth century. His remarkable career began in 1921, when he took a job covering sports for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. In 1923, The New York Times hired him to be a sportswriter, and he remained at that newspaper for forty-five years.
Danzig was the son of a Texas businessman, Morris Danzig, and his wife, Ethel Harvith Danzig. Born in Waco, Texas, in 1898, Allison did well enough in school to be admitted to Cornell University. World War I interrupted his studies. He served in the army as an infantryman from 1918 until 1919, achieving the rank of second lieutenant. After completing his military service, he resumed his studies and earned his A.B. degree from Cornell in 1921. In 1923, as his long career with The New York Times was commencing, he married Dorothy Charlotte Chapman, with whom he had three children.
In college, Danzig’s favorite game was football. As a reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, he covered a wide array of sporting events—football, golf, tennis, baseball, billiards, and boxing—all for a salary that ranged from eight to twelve dollars a week. He knew little about tennis, but he quickly taught himself enough about the game that within a year he was an acknowledged expert on indoor and court tennis, racquets, and squash.
Once The New York Times lured Danzig away from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, his principal responsibility was to cover football, tennis, and the Olympic Games. He soon redefined his job to include coverage of outdoor tennis in summer and football in the fall. In winter, he reported on indoor tennis, court tennis, racquets, and squash, games that appealed to the socially elite, and in the spring he turned his attention to crew.
Danzig published his first book, The Racquet Game, in 1930. He went on to write and edit several other books, including definitive histories of American football, baseball, and tennis.
As his career progressed, Danzig was honored with countless awards. He was elected to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame and Tennis Museum and to the Helms Foundation Rowing Hall of Fame, both in 1968. Columbia University created the Allison Danzig Cup for tennis in his honor and the Longwood Tennis Club established the Allison Danzig Award for tennis writing. Danzig also received the coveted Grantland Rice Award for distinguished sportswriting.
Following his retirement to Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 1968, he edited The Fireside Book of Tennis, a collaboration with Peter Schwed, and published two more books of which he was the sole author. He was a sports columnist for The New Yorker in the 1920’s and continued to contribute articles to that magazine in his later years. Through the years, he also published in the Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s. He died on January 27, 1987.