Arthur John Daley (July 31, 1904 – January 3, 1974) was an American

sports journalist Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

. As a

reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

, he wrote for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' for almost fifty years. In 1956, he was awarded a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

for reporting and commentary.

Early life and education

Arthur Daley was born on July 31, 1904, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He attended

Fordham Preparatory School Fordham Preparatory School (also known as Fordham Prep) is an American private, Jesuit, boys' college-preparatory school located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, New York City. From its founding in 1841 until 1970, t ...

and continued his education at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

. He was a multifaceted athlete, participating in baseball, basketball, football, swimming, and track. He wrote for the university newspaper, ''The Fordham Ram'', and served as its sports editor in his senior year.

Career

After graduating in 1926, Daley was hired almost immediately as a field reporter for ''

'', and for the rest of his life the newspaper would be "his one and only employer". Among his first major assignments was the 1927 heavyweight championship boxing match between

Gene Tunney James Joseph Tunney (May 25, 1897 – November 7, 1978) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1915 to 1928. He held the world heavyweight title from 1926 to 1928, and the American light heavyweight title twice between 1922 and 1 ...

and

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

– the infamous " Long Count Fight". He reported from the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

in Los Angeles, and when he was chosen to repeat that role at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, he became the first ''Times'' correspondent to be sent overseas for a sports assignment. In later years, Daley covered Olympics in Rome, Tokyo, Mexico City and Munich. In 1942, he succeeded

John Kieran John Francis Kieran (August 2, 1892 – December 10, 1981) was an American author, journalist, amateur naturalist and radio and television personality. Early years A native of The Bronx, Kieran was the son of Dr. James M. Kieran and his wife, K ...

as the sports columnist for the ''Times'', a position he held for the next 32 years. As the daily writer of "Sports of ''The Times''", he composed over 10,000 columns, with an estimated 20 million words. He also authored numerous books, including a collaboration with Kieran called ''The Story of the Olympic Games''. His writing earned him a

in 1956 for "outstanding coverage and commentary on the world of sports" in the category of "Local Reporting, No Edition Time". The

National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association The National Sports Media Association (NSMA), formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, is an organization of sports media members in the United States, and constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports Pr ...

named him "Sportswriter of the Year" in 1963, and inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1976. Beginning in 1969, he served on the board of directors of the

Pro Football Writers Association The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...

, and was a recipient of its

Dick McCann Memorial Award The Bill Nunn Jr. Award is bestowed annually by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) to a reporter for their "long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage". It is named after Bill Nunn Jr., who worked for 22 ...

. In 1972 he was inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Personal life

With his wife Betty, Daley lived in

Old Greenwich, Connecticut Old Greenwich is an affluent coastal village in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,611. The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct section ...

; the couple had four children and fifteen grandchildren. A son, Robert, and a granddaughter, Suzanne, followed in Daley's footsteps by also working as writers for the ''Times''. Daley died of a heart attack on January 3, 1974, on

West 42nd Street 42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, spanning the entire breadth of Midtown Manhattan, from Turtle Bay at the East River, to Hell's Kitchen at the Hudson River on the West Side. The street h ...

as he walked toward his

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

office. With a crowd of sporting world celebrities in attendance, his Roman Catholic funeral Mass was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He is interred at

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is ...

Hawthorne, New York Hawthorne is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 4,586 at the 2010 census. History The village was originally known as Hammond's Mill ...

Books

Daley was the author of several books, including: * ''The Story of the Olympic Games'', with John Kieran (1941; r.1977) * ''Kings of the Home Run'' (1962) * ''Pro Football's Hall of Fame'' (1965) * ''Sports of the Times: the Arthur Daley years'', collected columns (1975)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daley, Arthur 1904 births 1974 deaths Fordham Preparatory School alumni Fordham University alumni Sportswriters from New York (state) Writers from New York City People from Old Greenwich, Connecticut 20th-century American non-fiction writers Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting winners Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)