Newswise — The University of Maryland is creating an endowed chair in honor of the late Washington Post sports columnist Shirley Povich, one of American sports' most influential voices throughout an extraordinary 75-year career.
The Shirley Povich Chair in Sports Journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism will be a full-time teaching position held by an award-winning sports journalist.
The chair will be created in part by a $500,000 gift from Povich's children - David, a partner at the Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly; Lynn, a veteran journalist and former senior editor of Newsweek; and Maury, longtime television personality and producer. Maury Povich is married to former CBS and CNN news anchor Connie Chung, a 1969 Maryland journalism graduate.
"David, Lynn and Maury are ensuring that their father's spirit, values and passion for sports journalism live on in perpetuity through this chair," said Merrill College Dean Tom Kunkel. "The Povich Chair will be someone who embodies the talents and virtues of Shirley, and inspires tomorrow's sports writers."
Povich, who died in 1998 at age 92, was an eyewitness to most of the significant sporting events of the 20th century, from the 1927 Dempsey-Tunney fight to Lou Gehrig's retirement speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939 to Cal Ripken's breaking of Gehrig's consecutive game streak 56 years later. He covered 60 World Series and 20 Super Bowls.
Povich also was an early and unwavering voice for the integration of sports. In 1939, he wrote a column advocating the integration of Major League Baseball, eight years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. He regularly criticized then-Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall for refusing to hire any black players.
Former Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee once said that in the early years, before The Post was the dominant newspaper in Washington, "Shirley Povich was why people bought the paper. You got The Post for Shirley and the sports section. He was the sports section. For a lot of years, he carried the paper, and that's no exaggeration." Povich wrote his "This Morning" column six days a week.
Povich is in the writers's wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and is the only sportswriter to receive the National Press Club's prestigious Fourth Estate Award.
"Our father believed in writing for himself and he brought the reader along with him," Maury Povich said. "His simple but elegant style had few equals. His themes went well beyond sports and in effect he addressed most of the social issues of the 20th century. Sports writing today must embrace that same vision. Our father was one of the pathfinders. He would be both delighted and humbled at an honor such as this."
Beyond their personal donation, the Poviches will work with the College of Journalism to raise the remaining $1 million needed to endow the chair.
Kunkel said the Povich Chair will make Maryland a leader in sports journalism education, building on classes taught by Visiting Professor George Solomon, the former Washington Post sports editor who, with the Povich children, has just published a collection of Povich's writings, "All Those Mornings & at The Post." It contains recollections of Povich and a collection of 120 columns from the more than 17,000 he wrote.
A national search will be conducted for a top professional sports journalist. The Povich chair will teach sports journalism courses and advance excellence in sports journalism through a variety of speaking appearances, research projects and publishing activities.
"Beyond teaching reporting and writing skills, we envision the Povich Chair helping students understand the particular ethics and values of the sports journalist, as well as the complex business and economics of the professional and collegiate field," Kunkel said.
Maryland journalism graduates have distinguished themselves in sports journalism, including NBC golf correspondent Jimmy Roberts, ESPN baseball correspondent Tim Kurkjian, Washington Post sports editor Emilio Garcia Ruiz, CBS reporter Bonnie Bernstein, ABC sportscaster and WJLA-TV anchor Tim Brant, and Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele. The Povich Chair will be the College's fourth. Others are the Richard Eaton Chair in Broadcast Journalism, held by former CBS News White House correspondent Lee Thornton; the John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Journalism, held by Pulitzer-winning journalist Haynes Johnson; and the Philip Merrill Chair in Journalism, held by two-time Pulitzer winner Jon Franklin.
Online at: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/release.cfm?ArticleID=1079
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