Red Smith
Walter Wellesley Smith, known as Red Smith, was a prominent American sportswriter born in 1905 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He earned a journalism degree from Notre Dame University in 1927, initially intending to write news articles rather than sports pieces. However, his career in sportswriting began when he covered local games for the St. Louis Star. Smith gained national recognition for his work, especially during his time at the New York Herald Tribune, where he wrote the "Views of Sport" column. After the Tribune's closure in 1967, he continued his writing with the Publishers Hall Syndicate and later for The New York Times until 1982.
Throughout his illustrious career, Smith reported on numerous high-profile sporting events, including forty-five World Series, and authored several books and essays. He received multiple accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 and an honorary doctorate from Notre Dame for his contributions to sports journalism. Smith’s writing was characterized by its elegant prose and keen observational skills, making him a respected figure in the field. He passed away in 1982, leaving behind a legacy that influenced generations of sportswriters.
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Red Smith
- Born: September 25, 1905
- Birthplace: Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Died: January 15, 1982
- Place of death: Stamford, Connecticut
Biography
Walter Wellesley Smith, better known as sportswriter Red Smith, was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in1905. Smith always wanted to be a writer, and he earned a degree in journalism at Notre Dame University in 1927. Notre Dame had a small journalism faculty, but the university had a champion football team, as did Smith’s home town. However, Smith had no intention of being a sportswriter, and in his first jobs at the Milwaukee Sentinel and the St. Louis Star he reported on news events. However, he started covering sports for the Star because the newspaper often had no other reporter available to cover some of the local games.
Once Smith began reporting about sports, his evident writing abilities were quickly recognized and he began to commit himself to sportswriting. He accepted a job at the Philadelphia Recorder in 1936 and wrote a sports column for the newspaper. He stayed at the Recorder until the end of World War II, when the New York Herald Tribune offered him the chance to write a column called “Views of Sport.” Smith acquired a national reputation for his work at the Herald Tribune, and in 1967, when the newspaper folded, he continued to write his column for the Publishers Hall Syndicate. He later wrote a syndicated sports column for The New York Times from 1971 through 1982.
Smith married Catherine Cody in 1933, and the couple had two children. His wife died in 1967, and the following year he married Phyllis Weiss, an artist. In 1968, Notre Dame University awarded him an honorary doctorate for his services to sports journalism. He had already won several other awards, including the National Headliner Club Award in 1945 and the Grantland Rice Memorial in 1956. He received a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1976.
At the age of seventy-four, Smith traveled to Africa to report on a world heavyweight championship fight. Throughout his career, he reported on forty-five World Series, and contributed essays to numerous magazines, including Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, and Readers Digest.
Smith also wrote numerous books about sports, including several collections of his columns were published. His books include Out of the Red, Views of Sport, and Red Smith on Fishing Around the World. In 1982, the year of his death, Smith’s column was syndicated in 275 newspapers in the United States and 225 foreign newspapers. His writing displayed a prodigious memory, a polished writing style, and a good ear for conversational language.