Richard Whittingham
Richard Whittingham was an American sports historian and author born on January 1, 1939, in Chicago. He served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1964 and later graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 1967. Whittingham was a prolific writer, known for his diverse range of publications, including numerous books for young readers and a variety of works in sports history. He collaborated with notable figures, such as baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and produced significant works like "Rites of Autumn," which accompanied an ESPN series on college football.
His publications often emphasized oral histories, capturing the voices and experiences of sports figures in titles like "Bears in Their Own Words" and "Sunday's Heroes." Whittingham also explored historical events outside of sports, including the study of a mass execution during World War II. Over his career, he authored or contributed to approximately one hundred volumes, and his work garnered recognition, including an honor from the NFL and the Library of Congress. Richard Whittingham passed away on February 21, 2005, leaving behind a rich legacy in both sports literature and children’s publishing.
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Subject Terms
Richard Whittingham
Writer
- Born: January 1, 1939
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: February 21, 2005
- Place of death: Wilmette, Illinois
Biography
Sports historian Richard Whittingham was born on January 1, 1939, in Chicago, the son of Charles A. and Virginia Hartke Whittingham. He served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1964 and graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 1967. In 1964, he married Ellen McCrae Whittingham and was the father of three children. He published many books for young people, sometimes in collaboration with Barbara Brooks and others and under the pseudonyms Andrew David and David Paige. These included Holidays and Entertainments (1968), The Earth and the Stars (1973), the Moving Things series for Children’s Press, and a ten-volume Home Adventure Library, republished in five volumes in 1984.
His interests varied widely, and his many publications included Martial Justice: The Last Mass Execution in the United States (1972), a study of the execution of seven German prisoners of war at Fort Leavenworth in 1945 and, as the story of the last mass execution in the United States, the source for a television special; Job D: On the Street with a Chicago Homicide Cop (1980); and Boy Wonder of Wall Street: The Life and Times of Financier Eddie Gilbert (2003). He was the author of two crime novels, State Street (1991) and Their Kind of Town (1994).
Whittingham was best known for his books on sports. Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football, written with Roger Staubach (2001), was the companion volume for a ten-episode series on the cable television channel ESPN. He collaborated with baseball star Joe DiMaggio on the two-volume The DiMaggio Albums (1989). Many of his sports publications focused on oral history. These include Bears in Their Own Words: Chicago Bear Greats Talk About the Team, the Game, the Coaches, and the Times of Their Lives (1991), What Giants They Were: New YorkGiant Greats Talk About the Team, the Game, the Coaches, and the Times of Their Lives (2000), and Sunday’s Heroes: NFL Legends Talk About the Times of Their Lives (2003). He also chronicled the Dallas Cowboys, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournament, and the Washington Redskins.
Whittingham edited The Fireside Book of Pro Football (1989), which contains biographies, interviews, humor, and poetry. He was a contributor to a number of publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, and the Encyclopedia Britannica. His book What a Game They Played (1983), a history of the National Football League (NFL), was honored by the NFL and the Library of Congress. Including his works for children, Whittingham was author, editor, or contributor to approximately one hundred volumes. He died on February 21, 2005.