Berkow, Ira

Ira Berkow, an American sportswriter. Berkow was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 7, 1940 and attended Roger C. Sullivan High School in the Rogers Park section of Chicago, where he graduated from in 1957. His college career began at Miami University (BA, 1963) and ended at Northwestern University (MSJ, 1965). His first post as a sportswriter was with the Minneapolis Tribune (1965-1967). He then moved on to the syndicated news service Newspaper Enterprise Association where he worked as a columnist and writer from 1967-1976. In 1981, he started as a sports feature writer and columnist for the New York Times . He remained at the New York Times until his retirement in 2007. Since retiring, he has continued writing books and documentary films about sports.

The book Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool, which he wrote with Wilt Frazier, was named by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in the last 75 years. His 1987 book, The Man Who Robbed the Pierre: The Story of Bobby Comfort, was awarded the Edgar Award for Best True Crime Book of the Year. In 2001 he won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for his article, "The Minority Quarterback" in a New York Times series titled, "How Race Is Lived in America." Other accomplishments include being the only sportswriter featured for five decades (since 1969) in the highly regarded publication, Best American Sports Writing ; and was featured in David Halberstam's 1999 edition of The Best American Sports Writing of the Century . Additionally many of his other works have been distinguished with awards. In 2005, Berkow was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009, the Roosevelt University in Chicago honored him with an Honorary Doctorate.

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