Jerry Nason
Jerry Nason, born Paul Edward Nason on April 14, 1910, in Newton, Massachusetts, was a notable American sports journalist primarily associated with the Boston Globe. His deep connection to athletics began in childhood, as he developed a passion for the Boston Marathon, which would later significantly shape his career. Nason worked his way up from copyboy to executive sports editor at the Globe, serving from 1927 until his retirement in 1974. Throughout his career, he was particularly renowned for his coverage of high school and college sports, as well as major events like the Summer Olympics, attending five Olympic Games between 1948 and 1972. He is perhaps best known for his extensive reporting on the Boston Marathon, covering the race for fifty consecutive years and coining the famous term "Heartbreak Hill." Nason also contributed to various sports literature and received multiple awards for his work, leaving a lasting legacy in sports journalism. After his passing in 1986, the Boston Globe honored him by establishing the Nason Trophy, awarded to outstanding high school sports programs, reflecting his commitment to mentoring young writers.
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Jerry Nason
- Born: April 14, 1910
- Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts
- Died: June 19, 1986
- Place of death: Winchester, Massachusetts
Biography
Paul Edward Nason was born on April 14, 1910, in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Will and Mabel Nason. He was born at Newton Hospital, located along the course of the Boston Athletic Association’s annual marathon, and he drew his first breath five days before the start of the 1910 Boston Marathon. Seldom has a time and a place exerted such an influence as it did on the newborn infant.
As a boy, Nason became fascinated with the marathon. He biked along the route from Ashton to Boston, kept statistics on the races, and followed the careers of local runners, particularly five-time Boston Marathon winner Clarence DeMar. During high school, Nason was a member of the staff of his high school newspaper, The Newtonian, where he worked as a columnist, cartoonist, and editor.
After graduating in 1927, Nason landed a job as copyboy at the Boston Globe, where he remained for his entire career. He rose through the newspaper’s ranks, serving as illustrator, high school sports editor, college sports editor, and sports editor, until he became executive sports editor in 1966. He retired from the newspaper in 1974, but he continued to publish freelance articles. While he covered a wide variety of sports, Nason was particularly recognized for his reportage of high school and college football, track and field, and the Summer Olympics; he was the Globe’s correspondent for the 1948, 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic games. Nason also became strongly identified with the Boston Marathon, for which he wrote the lead story in the Globe for fifty consecutive races from 1932 through 1982, covering the event as it grew from a regional to an international phenomenon offering monetary awards to winners. Nason is credited with coining the term “Heartbreak Hill” to describe the uphill portion of the race that often stymies athletes who are in the lead after completing the initial, largely downhill portion of the 26.2-mile course.
Nason’s straightforward, occasionally sarcastic tone won him many faithful fans. He was a contributor to Famous American Athletes of Today, Seventh Series (1940), and his feature stories about track and field, the Olympics, basketball, baseball, and boxing were selected for many editions of the E. P. Dutton series, Best Sports Stories, between 1943 and 1973. Additionally, five of Nason’s Boston Marathon reports were used in the marathon’s annual publication. Nason won New England Associated Press News Executive Awards in 1961, 1969, and 1973. His book, The Story of the Boston Marathon, was published in 1966. This book contained statistics, illustrations, course records, rule changes, race summaries, accounts of the ten fastest times, and other features, and at the time it was published was considered the definitive story of the annual race.
Nason died of a heart attack on June 19, 1986. In his memory, and in recognition of his willingness to mentor young writers who worked in the Globe’s sports department, the Globe established the annual Nason Trophy, presented to local high schools that have the best sports programs.