Gordon Cobbledick

Gordon Russell Cobbledick[1] (December 31, 1898 – October 2, 1969), was an American sports journalist and author in Cleveland. He was the sports editor of The Plain Dealer for many years, and posthumously received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Gordon Cobbledick
Born(1898-12-31)December 31, 1898
Cleveland, Ohio
DiedOctober 2, 1969(1969-10-02) (aged 70)
Tucson, Arizona
EducationCase School of Applied Science
OccupationSports journalist
Known forSports editor of The Plain Dealer
Spouse(s)Doris V. Mathews
FamilyWilliam Cobbledick, Dorn Cobbledick

Early life

Cobbledick attended Case Western Reserve University where he studied mining engineering and played college football.[2] After graduating, he became a mining engineer in Morgantown, West Virginia. Some of his more popular nicknames were "Cobb" and "Cobby".

Career

While visiting a friend in Cleveland, Cobbledick had opportunity to join The Plain Dealer; he decided to quit his mining job, and started his writing career in 1923 at a salary of $25 per week. Initially covering the police beat, he later became a sports writer.[3] He also wrote for the short-lived Cleveland Times in 1926.[4][5] He was elected president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) in October 1942,[6] and served in the role during 1943.[7]

Cobbledick served as a war correspondent during World War II, and his account of the Battle of Okinawa written on V-E Day has been frequently reprinted and cited as an example of excellent war reporting. In 1947, he became the sports editor of The Plain Dealer. His works were frequently published in The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, and Baseball Digest. Cobbledick's writing style was short and to the point.[8]

Cobbledick was a journalist for The Plain Dealer until 1964 when he retired. He later moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he died in 1969, aged 70.

Legacy

In 1977, Cobbledick posthumously received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award from the BBWAA and was inducted into the "writers' wing" of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.[9][10][11]

From 1963 through 2002, the Cleveland chapter of the BBWAA voted annually for the "Gordon Cobbledick Golden Tomahawk Award", which was awarded to the most underrated player of the Cleveland Indians. Recipients included Gaylord Perry (1973), Rick Sutcliffe (1984), and Travis Fryman (2000).[12]

Works

Books
  • Cobbledick, Gordon (1966). Don't Knock the Rock: The Rocky Colavito Story. World Publishing Co. ASIN B0007E1B5M.

Selected articles

References
  1. "Deaths in Nation". The Bridgeport Post. Associated Press. October 3, 1969. Retrieved January 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  2. "Gordon Cobbledick". The Ballplayers. The Ballplayers. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  3. "1977 J. G. Taylor Spink Award Winner Gordon Cobbledick". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. "Encyclopedia of Cleveland History – Gordon Cobbledick". case.edu. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  5. "Cleveland Times". case.edu. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  6. Bealmear, Austin (October 6, 1942). "World Series Notes". The Fort Lauderdale Daily News. Retrieved January 11, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "Constitution". bbwaa.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018. see Addendum B
  8. Lebovitz, Hal. "Cobby...Cobby...Cobby..." The Best of Hal Lebovitz: Great Sportswriting from Six Decades in Cleveland. Gray & Company, Publishers. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  9. "Gordon Cobbledick". Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.
  10. James E. Odenkirk (1990). Plain Dealing: A Biography of Gordon Cobbledick. Spider-Naps Publications. ISBN 0-86700-024-4.
  11. "Gordon R. Cobbledick, 70, Cleveland Sports Editor" (PDF). The New York Times. October 4, 1968.
  12. "Golden Tomahawk Award". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 10, 2018.

Further reading
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