Shirley Povich
Shirley Povich was a prominent American sports journalist born on July 15, 1905, in Bar Harbor, Maine, to Lithuanian immigrant parents. He began his career in journalism as a copyboy for The Washington Post while still in high school and quickly advanced to become the youngest sports editor at a major American newspaper by the age of twenty-one. Povich gained fame through his long-running column, "This Morning," which he started in 1926 and continued for over seven decades, producing more than fifteen thousand columns. Throughout his career, he was noted for his insightful coverage of various sports, with baseball being his particular passion, and he even served as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in 1956.
Povich's career spanned a transformative period in sports journalism, where he collaborated with notable figures in the field and became recognized as one of the best sports columnists in the United States. He also served as a war correspondent during World War II, showcasing his versatility and commitment to journalism. He officially retired from The Washington Post in 1974 but continued to write until shortly before his death on June 8, 1998, at the age of ninety-two. His contributions to sportswriting were honored with several prestigious awards, including induction into the Sportswriting Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964. Povich's legacy remains influential in the realm of sports journalism, celebrated for his wit and dedication to the craft.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Shirley Povich
- Born: July 15, 1905
- Birthplace: Bar Harbor, Maine
- Died: June 8, 1998
- Place of death: Washington, D.C.
Biography
Shirley Povich was born on July 15, 1905, in Bar Harbor, Maine, the son of Lithuanian immigrants. While still in high school he caddied for the owner of The Washington Post, who offered Povich a job as a copyboy. Within a year he was a reporter in the sports department, and two years later, at the age of twenty-one, he became the youngest sports editor of a major American newspaper. Povich remained the newspaper’s sports editor until 1933. He began his famed column, “This Morning,” in 1926, and he would produce more than fifteen thousand columns for the newspaper over the next seven decades.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, sportswriting was emerging as a distinctive and important literary form, and Povich’s career coincided with this heyday of American sports journalism. During his long career, he worked alongside some of the giants in his field, from Grantland Rice, Damon Runyon, and Heywood Broun to Red Smith and Bob Considine. Povich himself came to be considered one of the best sports columnists in the United States.
Povich married Ethyl Friedman on February 21, 1932, and their marriage lasted sixty-six years, until Povich’s death at the age of ninety-two on June 8, 1998. The couple had three children, David, Lynn, and Maury, who became a television talk show host. During World War II, Povich served as a war correspondent with the Marines in the Pacific, narrowly escaping death.
Povich officially retired from The Washington Post in 1974 but continued to turn out columns until shortly before his death. He published two books, The Washington Senators and All These Mornings, a memoir of his career. While he covered all sports, his first love was baseball, and he became the president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in 1956. He also won the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, and in 1964 he earned a spot in the Sportswriting Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. In addition, he won the Grantland Rice Award for Sportswriting in 1964, as well as numerous awards from the Washington Newspaper Guild.
Povich was a prolific sports journalist, turning out six columns a week at his peak, and his witty and articulate writing helped to elevate the art of American sportswriting.