Gene Schoor
Gene Schoor was a notable sports biographer and writer, born in 1921 in Passaic, New Jersey. He earned his bachelor's degree from Miami University in 1938 and had a diverse career that included roles as an athletic instructor at various universities and a public relations officer in the Navy during World War II. Following the war, he established a public relations business and produced radio shows featuring prominent athletes. Schoor is particularly recognized for his biography of baseball player Roy Campanella, titled *Roy Campanella: Man of Courage*, which highlighted Campanella's significant contributions to the game and his popularity among fans. Throughout his career, he authored several biographies of athletes and historical figures, as well as books covering sporting events. Notably, his book on the World Series provided unique insights into its history. Despite achieving recognition for his work, Schoor faced challenges later in life, including financial difficulties and dementia, and he passed away in 2000. His legacy includes a collection of impactful sports literature that reflects both his passion for sports and his ability to convey stories with depth.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Gene Schoor
- Born: July 26, 1921
- Birthplace: Passaic, New Jersey
- Died: December 1, 2000
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Sports biographer Gene Schoor was born in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1921, the son of Bernard Schoor and Marie Winstone Schoor. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Miami University in 1938. After graduating from college, he was an athletic instructor for several years at New York University, the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and City College (now the City University of New York). Schoor married Frances Stampler in September, 1942, and served in a public relations position with the Navy from 1942 to 1945.
After World War II, he established a public relations business that represented such luminaries as actress Jayne Mansfield and gossip columnist Cindy Adams. He also worked as a radio producer for shows hosted by athletes Joe DiMaggio and Jack Dempsey, among others. He eventually became a full-time writer and the owner of the Gene Schoor Steak House, a New York City restaurant.
Schoor is best known for his biography of professional baseball player Roy Campanella, Roy Campanella: Man of Courage (1959). The book covered Campanella’s career from 1937 to 1958, when he played with the Baltimore Elite Giants in the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers after Major League Baseball was integrated. Schoor explored Campanella’s status as one of the Dodgers’ most popular players because of his readily apparent love for the game and the fans. Schoor also wrote biographies of other baseball players and athletes as well as books about Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Douglas MacArthur.
In addition, Schoor wrote histories of sporting events and teams. His book The History of the World Series: The Complete Chronology of America’s Greatest Sports Tradition (1990) included a section on the origins of the event, setting the book apart from those of other writers. In his writing, Schoor exhibited the ability to convey feeling in an unsentimental manner. Although his writing style was effective, he often made mistakes in reporting point totals and other sports-related statistics.
He teamed up with his wife, Fran Schoor, to write Lüchow’s German Festival Cookbook, published in 1976. He won awards from the Boys’ Club of America for his books The Jim Thorpe Story: America’s Greatest Athlete (1951), Joe DiMaggio: The Yankee Clipper (1956), Young John Kennedy (1963), The Army-Navy Game: A Treasury of Football Classics (1967), and Young Robert Kennedy (1969). Schoor spent the last two years of his life in a Manhattan nursing home, a widower facing poverty and plagued by dementia. He died in December, 2000, at the age of seventy- nine.