Red Smith (sportswriter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Red Smith
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Red Smith
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| Born | Walter Wellesley Smith September 25, 1905 Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1982 (aged 76) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Resting place | Long Ridge Union Cemetery |
| Occupation | Sportswriter |
| Language | English |
| Education | Green Bay East High School |
| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame |
| Years active | 1927–1982 |
| Notable works | Red Smith on Fishing |
| Notable awards |
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| Spouse | Catherine Cody Smith (d. 1967) Phyllis Warner Weiss (m. 1968) |
| Children | 2, including Terence Smith |
Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith (September 25, 1905 – January 15, 1982) was a famous American sportswriter. He wrote about sports for over 50 years. His writing style inspired many other writers. In 1976, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, a very important award for writers. Author David Halberstam once called him "the greatest sportswriter of two eras."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Walter Wellesley Smith was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on September 25, 1905. He did not like his birth name, so he started calling himself "Red" Smith. As a kid, he loved hiking, hunting, and fishing.
He went to Green Bay East High School. This school's field was where the National Football League's Packers played their home games until 1957. After high school, Red Smith went to the University of Notre Dame. He graduated from college in 1927.
Starting His Writing Career
After college, Smith sent letters to about 100 newspapers. He was looking for a job as a writer. The Milwaukee Sentinel newspaper finally hired him. Later, he worked for the St. Louis Star as a sportswriter.
It was in St. Louis that Red Smith developed his special writing style. His writing was funny and smart, which made many people love and respect it. After working in St. Louis, he moved to the Philadelphia Record. He worked there for nine years, from 1936 to 1945.
Becoming a Famous Sportswriter
In 1945, after 18 years of writing, Smith joined the New York Herald Tribune. This is where he became very well-known. His newspaper column, called "Views of Sports," was read by many people. It was also printed in many other newspapers.
Smith wrote three or four columns every week. These columns appeared in 275 newspapers in the United States. They were also printed in 225 newspapers in about 30 other countries. When the Herald Tribune newspaper closed in 1966, Smith started working as a freelance writer. This means he wrote for different places without being tied to one company.
In 1971, when he was 66 years old, The New York Times hired him. He wrote four columns a week for them for the next ten years. Sometimes, he would work 18 hours a day on his writing.
What Red Smith Wrote About
Smith mostly wrote about sports he enjoyed. These included baseball, football, boxing, and horse racing. He did not like basketball, which he called "whistleball," or hockey. He also often wrote about his love for fly fishing for trout.
Many of his fishing stories were funny because he made fun of himself. He often said he was very bad at fishing. In 1956, one of his columns won him an award for great sportswriting. He wrote in a clear, factual style. He avoided fancy words or common sayings that many other sportswriters used.
Awards and Recognition
During his time at The New York Times, Red Smith won many awards. In 1976, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. This award was given for his sports writing in 1975 and for many years before that. He was one of the first sportswriters to win this important award.
In December 1976, Smith also received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award. This award is given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The Associated Press also gave him the first ever Red Smith Award. This award was for his amazing work in sports journalism.
Smith was also known for his excellent English skills. Dictionary and thesaurus publishers often asked him for help as an editor or adviser.
A Famous Quote
Red Smith is famous for saying, "Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed." This quote means that good writing requires a lot of effort and personal feeling. Other writers, like Paul Gallico and Walter Winchell, also talked about this idea of pouring your heart into your writing.
Later Life and Family
Red Smith was married two times. His first wife, Catherine, passed away in 1967. He then married Phyllis Warner Weiss in 1968. They lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, and also in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. When he died, Smith had two children, five stepchildren, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
His son, Terence Smith, also became a journalist. He worked for The New York Times, CBS News, PBS, and NPR. Terence Smith won two Emmy Awards for his reporting. One was for his stories about people living near nuclear power plants. The other was for his coverage of Hurricane Hugo.
Changing His Style
In his later years at The New York Times, Red Smith's writing became shorter and more direct. He felt his earlier columns sometimes went on too long. He also became more critical of how team owners treated players. He used to think athletes were perfect, but he changed his mind. He even spoke out against the International Olympic Committee.
On January 4, 1980, Smith wrote a column asking the United States to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow. He was the first sportswriter to suggest this. A few weeks later, President Jimmy Carter announced that the U.S. would not go to the games. This was to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Smith spent his last years in New Canaan, Connecticut. On January 11, 1982, he said he would write only three columns a week. He died four days later, on January 15, 1982, from heart failure in Stamford, Connecticut. He is buried in Stamford's Long Ridge Union Cemetery.
His Legacy
A school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, called Red Smith School, is named after him. The Red Smith Handicap, a Thoroughbred horse race in Queens, New York, is also named in his honor.
Red Smith understood how important sports are in American culture. He once said that sports are like the "real world" where people suffer, live, die, and love, just like everyone else. He also compared the ancient Roman Colosseum to Yankee Stadium, showing how sports venues have always been important gathering places.
Selected Works
- The Best of Red Smith
- Red Smith's Sports Annual
- Views of Sport
- Out of the Red
- "Absent Friends"
- " Strawberries in Winter"
