W. O. McGeehan
William O'Connell McGeehan was an influential American journalist and sportswriter, born on November 22, 1879, in San Francisco, California. He began his career in journalism after serving in the military during the Spanish-American War and the Philippine insurrection. McGeehan gained prominence for his work with major newspapers in San Francisco, where he earned respect for his insightful and often humorous coverage of sports, particularly boxing. His nickname, "The Sheriff," originated from his involvement in a notable prison break story.
In 1914, he moved to New York City, where he continued to excel in sports journalism, eventually becoming the sports editor of the New York Herald. McGeehan was known for his sharp wit and memorable phrases that enriched the sports lexicon. Beyond journalism, he published a humorous travelogue and contributed to various periodicals. He was not only a dedicated professional but also an avid traveler and outdoorsman. McGeehan passed away on November 29, 1933, while on vacation, leaving behind a legacy celebrated by many in the sporting community, including posthumous induction into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
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W. O. McGeehan
Writer
- Born: November 22, 1879
- Birthplace: San Francisco, California
- Died: November 29, 1933
- Place of death: Brunswick, Georgia
Biography
William O’Connell McGeehan was born on November 22, 1879, in San Francisco, California, the eldest of six children of Hugh and Theresa O’Connell McGeehan. Following high school graduation, McGeehan enrolled at Stanford University, but he dropped out during his freshman year to enlist in the army and fight in the Spanish-American War. In 1899, he was sent to the Philippines to help quell an insurrection.
When McGeehan returned to San Francisco in 1900, he went to work as a reporter at the San Francisco Bulletin newspaper. During the next fourteen years, he worked as a reporter and sportswriter for most of the city’s major newspapers, including the San Francisco Call, San Francisco Examiner, and San Francisco Chronicle, earning a reputation as a no-nonsense stylist with a keen sense of humor and a wide range of knowledge. He was particularly recognized for his always respectful, sometimes critical coverage of boxing. At this time, McGeehan acquired a new nickname, The Sheriff, because he covered a Folsom Prison break in which he was deputized to lead a posse into the Sierra NevadaMountains in an unsuccessful pursuit of the escaped convicts.
In 1910, McGeehan married reporter Sophie Anita Treadwell, who later became a novelist and playwright. By 1914, McGeehan had worked his way up to city editor and managing editor of the San Francisco Evening Post, and he decided to move to New York. There, he began a regular boxing column, “Right Cross,” at the New York Evening Journal but left after a year for the greater freedom of the New York Tribune. Within two years, he had sufficiently impressed employers and sports fans alike and was promoted to sports editor. During World War I, McGeehan temporarily left the newspaper in 1917 to train for overseas infantry duty, rising in rank from captain to major in the army reserve.
By 1921, McGeehan had been elevated to managing editor at the Tribune. The newspaper was experiencing financial difficulties in a highly competitive journalistic market, so McGeehan left for the New York Herald, where he was sports editor and launched a daily column, “Down the Line.” When the Herald and Tribune merged in 1924, he found himself at the helm of one of the most respected sports departments in the newspaper business, and he remained there for the rest of his life. Many of his pithy expressions, such as describing wrestling as the “cauliflower industry” and boxing as “the manly art of modified murder,” have entered the sporting lexicon.
Between 1919 and 1933, McGeehan also contributed articles and short stories to a variety of publications, including the Saturday Evening Post, American Magazine, and Liberty. He published his only book, a humorous travelogue entitled Trouble in the Balkans, in 1931.
McGeehan was an avid traveler, hunter, and fisherman. He died of a massive heart attack on November 29, 1933, while on vacation in Georgia. His death was mourned throughout the sporting world, with tributes from Babe Ruth, Gene Tunney, and writers Grantland Rice and Damon Runyon, among many. McGeehan was posthumously inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.