Allison Danzig “Al”
Born: February 27, 1898
Died: January 27, 1987
Hometown: Waco, Texas, United States
Citizenship: United States
Handed: Left
Inducted: 1968
Contributions
New York Times Tennis Writer 1927-67
The familiar and authoritative identification that topped “New York” Times stories for 45 years–By Allison Danzig–was reassuring to readers until his retirement in 1967. Before that he was a sportswriter for the “Brooklyn Eagle”, developing an incisive, perceptive style that made him the widest regarded literary voice of the game in the U.S. Al Danzig, the first journalist to enter the Hall of Fame (1968), was a thorough going gentleman respected throughout the game and his profession. He covered the game from its first great impact during the Tilden, Wills and Lenglen days of the 1920s to the dawn of the open era, and also was a nationally known college football, rowing and the Olympic Games.
He was one of the few who could write knowledgeably about court tennis, ancestor of lawn tennis. Born in Waco, Texas, February 27, 1898, he graduated from Cornell, where he played football despite a diminutive stature, and serve in the U.S. Army during World War I. He became a New Yorker following college, but kept Texas in his speech, and in the kitchen. This soft-spoken man was celebrated for his torrid chili. Always immaculately turned out–coat and tie whatever the summer temperature on the Eastern grass circuit–he was generous in helping young reporters and had the respect of generations of players. He wrote books on tennis, football, the Olympics and court tennis. Danzig died January 27, 1987, in Ridgewood, NJ. The Danzig Award, established by Longwood Cricket Club in Boston–he was the first recipient in 1963–honors leading tennis writers, and is presented periodically during the U.S. Pro Championships.
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