Archie Burdette Ward (December 27, 1896 – July 9, 1955) was an American journalist who served as sports editor for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

''. He was the creator of the

Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

and the

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nation ...

amateur boxing tournament.

Biography

Ward was born in 1896 in

Irwin, Illinois Irwin is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 74 at the 2010 census, down from 92 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Kankakee- Bradley, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Irwin is locat ...

, and attended Columbia Academy and Columbia College (now

Loras College Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree ...

) in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

. He worked for the ''

Telegraph Herald The ''Telegraph Herald'', locally referred to as the ''TH'', is a daily newspaper published in Dubuque, Iowa, for the population of Dubuque and surrounding areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Mi ...

'' in Dubuque in 1919. Ward completed college at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

, where he worked as publicity director under Knute Rockne in 1919 and 1920, before graduating in 1921. Ward then worked for the '' Star'' in Rockford, Illinois, during 1921–1925. He joined the ''

'' in 1925, and became sports editor in 1930. Ward created the

, the

amateur boxing tournament, and the

College All-Star Football Classic The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the ...

(an annual game between professional and college players). In 1941, he was offered the role of Commissioner of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL), but turned it down. He later started the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Ward published several collections of light content ("notes, verses and comments") from the ''Chicago Tribune'' entitled ''In The Wake Of The News Book'', and edited an anthology called ''The Greatest Sports Stories From Chicago Tribune''. He also was the author of three sports-related books: * ''

Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (August 27, 1908 – June 21, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1939 to 1940 and at ...

and the

Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Divisi ...

'' (1944) * ''The Green Bay Packers'' (1946) * ''The New

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

'' (1951) Ward was involved in conservative political causes and as well as the hierarchy of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Described as affable and mild mannered, he was considered a dynamo with powerful contacts in American politics, church matters, and journalism. Ward died in his sleep in 1955, aged 58, at his home on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago; his death was attributed to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. He was survived by his wife, Helen, and a son; a daughter had predeceased him in 1940. His funeral took place the same day as the 1955 MLB All-Star Game.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Arch 1896 births 1955 deaths People from Kankakee County, Illinois Writers from Chicago Sportswriters from Illinois Chicago Tribune people Loras College alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Major League Baseball All-Star Game All-America Football Conference Golden Gloves

Biography

Notes

References

Further reading

External links