American sportswriter (1898–1987)
Allison "Al" Danzig (February 27, 1898 – January 27, 1987) was an American sportswriter who specialized in writing about tennis , but also covered college football , squash , many Olympic Games , and rowing .[1] Danzig was the only American sportswriter to extensively cover real tennis , the precursor to modern lawn tennis .[2]
Danzig covered every tournament in the Grand Slam, the U.S. Open , the Australian Open , Wimbledon , and the French Open , as well as many others. In 1968, Danzig was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island , becoming the first journalist in the Hall.[2] In an interview shortly before his death, he named Bill Tilden as the greatest player he had covered.
Early life and education
Danzig was born on February 27, 1898 in Waco, Texas , and grew up in Albany, New York . His sister, Evelyn Danzig , wrote the music for the hit song "Scarlet Ribbons" in 1949.
He attended Cornell University , where he was co-editor of The Cornell Daily Sun with E.B. White . Danzig also briefly played football for the Cornell Big Red while weighing just 125-pounds.[1] He graduated from Cornell in 1921.
Career
He joined The New York Times in 1923, after a stint at the Brooklyn Eagle , and remained there until his retirement in 1968.[1] Before becoming a sportswriter, Danzig wrote obituaries , and was originally planning for a career as a foreign correspondent .
Danzig wrote several books, including: The Racquet Game (Macmillan 1930), a history of racquet sports; The Fireside Book of Tennis (Simon & Schuster 1972); and Oh, How They Played The Game (Macmillan 1971), about the early days of American football . A critic at The New York Times called his book History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players and Coaches (1956) "without doubt, the most ambitious and best book ever published on the subject of college football."[1] His last book, The Winning Gallery , was a collection of articles and essays about real tennis , published by the United States Court Tennis Association (USCTA).[3]
He is credited with coining the term "ace" to describe a serve in which the opposing player fails to get their racket on the ball.[2]
He lived most of his adult life in Roslyn Estates, New York , with his wife, two daughters, and one son.[4] [5]
Death
Danzig retired to Bergen County, New Jersey , where he died on January 27, 1987, at age 88.
References
^ a b c d Flint, Peter B. (January 28, 1987). "Allison Danzig, 88, Times Writer, Dies" . The New York Times . pp. 26, Sec. D. Retrieved April 25, 2009 .
^ a b c "Hall of Famers – Allison Danzig" . www.tennisfame.com . International Tennis Hall of Fame .
^ Allison Danzig, The Winning Gallery (USCTA 1987)
^ "Givics to Nominate Roslyn Estates Slate". Newsday . January 21, 1949. p. 21 – via ProQuest .
^ "Marion Danzig Weds Miami University Graduate at Formal Rites in Roslyn". Newsday . September 10, 1951. p. 46 – via ProQuest .
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