Al Stump
Al Stump was an American author and sportswriter, most renowned for his biographies of baseball legend Ty Cobb. Born in 1916 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Stump began his writing career while studying at the University of Washington and subsequently worked as a sportswriter for the Oregonian. His first collaboration with Cobb resulted in the autobiography "My Life in Baseball: The True Record," published in 1961. This project was marked by challenges, as Cobb was known for his difficult personality and complex character traits. After Cobb's death, Stump's reflections on their collaboration revealed that the biography had omitted many of Cobb's flaws and less flattering aspects of his life. In 1994, Stump published "Cobb: A Biography," which offered a more candid portrayal of the baseball star. Stump also wrote about other figures, including golfer Sam Snead, showcasing a varied writing career. He passed away in Newport Beach, California, in 1995.
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Al Stump
- Born: October 20, 1916
- Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Died: December 21, 1995
- Place of death: Newport Beach, California
Biography
Al Stump is best known for Cobb: A Biography (1994), his frank account of the life of baseball legend Ty Cobb. This was Stump’s second biography of Cobb; the first was a collaboration with Cobb, My Life in Baseball: The True Record, which was published in 1961 and reprinted in 1993.
Stump was born in 1916 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He began writing for publication when he was an undergraduate at the University of Washington and was sports editor of the college newspaper. When he left school, Stump worked for the Oregonian in Portland, Oregon, as a sportswriter, a position he held until he entered the military during World War Two.
At war’s end, Stump became a freelance writer, selling his work to various magazines and newspapers. In the course of his freelance work, he interviewed many celebrities, including writer Ernest Hemingway; actors Alan Ladd, John Wayne, and Humphrey Bogart; and gangster Bugsy Siegel. This work provided Stump with the experience and background that Cobb sought in a collaborator.
Cobb tried for several years to find someone to collaborate with him on his autobiography. By 1959, when he invited Stump to work with him, Cobb had angered or frightened off six other writers. It was obvious that Cobb, who was legendary not only for his prowess in baseball but also for his uncontrollable temper and his unconscionable actions, would be difficult to work with. It was also obvious that Cobb would not encourage an objective account of his life but would insist that the final product glorify him and omit the more offensive aspects of his character.
In 1960, Stump agreed to collaborate with Cobb. They worked on the autobiography in Cobb’s lodge at Lake Tahoe for ten months in 1960 and 1961. The result of their collaboration, My Life in Baseball: The True Record, was an immediate best- seller. However, the months spent working with Cobb were not happy ones for Stump. Cobb was suffering from various illnesses and had trouble managing his medications. He also drank heavily, which complicated his medical problems. Cobb died not long after his biography was released. Stump did not attend Cobb’s funeral, later explaining, “I was fed up with him. I thought he was a monster who had no love for his fellow man.”
In an article later published in True magazine, Stump admitted that the Cobb biography was a sanitized version of Cobb’s actual life. Stump explained that he was forced to overlook the baseball player’s many personal flaws and to cover up the fact that most of his teammates hated him—and for very good reasons. Stump’s account in True was the basis for the motion picture, Cobb, released in 1994. That year, Stump published his version of Cobb’s life, Cobb: A Biography.
After working with Cobb, Stump collaborated with another athlete—legendary golfer Sam Snead. Their book, The Education of a Golfer, was published in 1962 and was a much happier collaboration for Stump.
Stump died in Newport Beach, California, in 1995.