Maury Allen
Encyclopedia
Maury Allen was an American sportswriter, actor, and former columnist for the New York Post
and the Journal-News. He was also a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen wrote 40 books on American sports icons. He also contributed to Thecolumnists.com.
, New York
, to parents Harry and Frances Rosenberg. Harry Rosenberg was a coffee salesman and Frances a homemaker. He attended James Madison High School
where he covered sports for the school paper.
As a young man, Allen was a Brooklyn Dodgers fanatic. His book, Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers, recalls the glory days of the team, before they were moved to Los Angeles
.
After high school, he attended City College of New York
where he majored in journalism and played for the football team. Allen had one older brother. Following college, Allen was drafted to the Army. He served in Japan and in Korea during the Korean War
.
In 1959, Allen was hired as sports writer at Sports Illustrated
. He wrote for Sports Illustrated for two years. His next major magazine job was reporting for the New York Post
from 1961-1988. From 1988-2000, he wrote articles for The Journal News
, owned by the Gannett Company
. Following his retirement from The Journal News, Allen continued to write books and to write articles for Thecolumnists.com.
’s Restaurant, Bill Liederman. The show was broadcast live from Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant, near Central Park
in New York City
. The one-hour long show featured sports talk and interviews with athletes. Allen was a contributor to a talk show hosted by Dave Cooperman and Bill Liederman called The Sports Buzz which was broadcast originally by WFAS
(2003-2004) in Westchester
and then WCTC
(2005-2007) in Central Jersey
. Lori Rubinson from season 1 of ESPN
's Dream Job
and now a contributor on WFAN replaced Liederman. Cooperman and Rubinson moved the show to the WCTC studios and the show eventually was moved to the 5:00-7:00 time slot. Maury Allen remained a contributor through the life of the show.
, and more recently in the TV movie, The Bronx Is Burning
.
, and was a voter for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 35 years. He became eligible to vote in 1973 after more than 10 years as a traveling sports reporter.
, a right fielder for the Yankees, White Sox, and Brooklyn Dodgers, and controversial figure in baseball in the 1940s for his stance against racial integration
in Major League Baseball
, scheduled for release in April 2010.
player. Friends and acquaintances often joked that Allen could be counted on to show up for tennis any day of the year. Allen died of lymphoma
at the age of 78.
, the James Madison High Hall of Fame, and the Westchester County New York Hall of Fame and the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame.
ESPN
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and the Journal-News. He was also a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen wrote 40 books on American sports icons. He also contributed to Thecolumnists.com.
Early life
Allen was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to parents Harry and Frances Rosenberg. Harry Rosenberg was a coffee salesman and Frances a homemaker. He attended James Madison High School
James Madison High School (New York)
James Madison High School is a public high school located at 3787 Bedford Avenue, in the Madison section of Brooklyn, New York, and educates grades 9 through 12. It is part of Region 6 in the New York City Department of Education...
where he covered sports for the school paper.
As a young man, Allen was a Brooklyn Dodgers fanatic. His book, Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers, recalls the glory days of the team, before they were moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
After high school, he attended City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
where he majored in journalism and played for the football team. Allen had one older brother. Following college, Allen was drafted to the Army. He served in Japan and in Korea during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Early career
Allen wrote for the City College newspaper, The Campus, covering sports. When he was drafted to the Army, he continued as a reporter, writing for the Pacific Stars and Stripes. After his service, he wrote for papers in Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York.In 1959, Allen was hired as sports writer at Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. He wrote for Sports Illustrated for two years. His next major magazine job was reporting for the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
from 1961-1988. From 1988-2000, he wrote articles for The Journal News
The Journal News
The Journal News is a newspaper in New York serving the suburban New York City counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, a region known as the Lower Hudson Valley. It is owned by the Gannett Company, Inc. The Journal News was created through a merger of several daily community newspapers...
, owned by the Gannett Company
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
. Following his retirement from The Journal News, Allen continued to write books and to write articles for Thecolumnists.com.
Radio Broadcasts
From 2002-2008, Allen co-hosted a weekly radio show called Talking Sports with Maury and Bill with the owner of Mickey MantleMickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
’s Restaurant, Bill Liederman. The show was broadcast live from Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant, near Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The one-hour long show featured sports talk and interviews with athletes. Allen was a contributor to a talk show hosted by Dave Cooperman and Bill Liederman called The Sports Buzz which was broadcast originally by WFAS
WFAS-FM
WFAS-FM is a radio station located in Westchester County, New York, covering the county and surrounding vicinity. The station features an adult contemporary format and is under ownership of Cumulus Media...
(2003-2004) in Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and then WCTC
WCTC
WCTC is an American radio station broadcasting a syndicated and live talk radio format. Licensed to New Brunswick, New Jersey, the station serves the Middlesex area. The station is currently owned by Greater Media .The station broadcasts in C-QUAM AM stereo...
(2005-2007) in Central Jersey
Central Jersey
Central Jersey is a common designation for a region of the state of New Jersey in the United States of America. Trenton is considered the boundary between designated "North Jersey" and "South Jersey"...
. Lori Rubinson from season 1 of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Dream Job
Dream Job
Dream Job is an American reality television show from ESPN, which began on February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of Beg, Borrow & Deal having previously aired. However, this was the first reality show from a network to offer its winner an on-air place on one...
and now a contributor on WFAN replaced Liederman. Cooperman and Rubinson moved the show to the WCTC studios and the show eventually was moved to the 5:00-7:00 time slot. Maury Allen remained a contributor through the life of the show.
Film appearances
Allen was interviewed on numerous occasions in documentary films, such as Toots (2006), Mantle (2006), and Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is (1999). He also portrayed a sports journalist in The Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple
The Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
, and more recently in the TV movie, The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning is a television drama that debuted on ESPN on July 9, 2007, after the 2007 MLB Home Run Derby. It is an eight-episode mini-series adapted from Jonathan Mahler's best-selling book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning...
.
National Baseball Hall of Fame voter
Allen was a member of the Baseball Writers Association of AmericaBaseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
, and was a voter for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 35 years. He became eligible to vote in 1973 after more than 10 years as a traveling sports reporter.
Recent work
Allen completed work on a book about Dixie WalkerDixie Walker
Fred E. "Dixie" Walker was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , Detroit Tigers , Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates...
, a right fielder for the Yankees, White Sox, and Brooklyn Dodgers, and controversial figure in baseball in the 1940s for his stance against racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, scheduled for release in April 2010.
Publications
- Sports Illustrated, 1959-1961
- New York Post, 1961-1988
- Journal-News, 1988-2000
- The Columnists.com, 2001-present
Personal life
In 1962, Maury Allen married Janet Anne Kelly Allen. They had two children, daughter Jennifer (born 1968), and son Ted (born 1969) and four grandchildren. Prior to retirement, Allen was an avid tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. Friends and acquaintances often joked that Allen could be counted on to show up for tennis any day of the year. Allen died of lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
at the age of 78.
Awards and honors
Allen was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society of Silurians, one of the oldest journalistic organizations in existence. He was inducted into the B'nai B'rith Sports Hall of Fame, City College of New York Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of FameInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
, the James Madison High Hall of Fame, and the Westchester County New York Hall of Fame and the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame.
ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Credits
- The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Ralph BrancaRalph BrancaRalph Theodore Joseph Branca is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.From 1944 through 1956, Branca played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Detroit Tigers , and New York Yankees...
for Losing the 1951 Pennant - Yogi BerraYogi BerraLawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
- George SteinbrennerGeorge SteinbrennerGeorge Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
- Roger MarisRoger MarisRoger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
- Reggie JacksonReggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
- Joe DiMaggioJoe DiMaggioJoseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
External links
- Maury Allen at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Thecolumnists.com
- Berger, Joseph. "Maury Allen, Sportswriter and Prolific Author, Dies at 78," The New York Times, Monday, October 4, 2010.