Ian Wooldridge
Encyclopedia
Ian Wooldridge, OBE
(14 January 1932 – 4 March 2007) was a British
sports journalist
. He was with the Daily Mail
for nearly 50 years. He died from cancer
. His memorial service was at the Guards Chapel
, Wellington Barracks, London
on Wednesday 27 June 2007.
, Hampshire
, Wooldridge left Brockenhurst Grammar School
with two school certificate
s, for English
and art
.
After National Service
and an apprenticeship on newspapers in New Milton
and Bournemouth
, he became a reporter on the News Chronicle
in 1956. After a spell with the Sunday Dispatch
, he moved to the Daily Mail
, which absorbed the News Chronicle in 1960
correspondent at the Mail, from 1972 Wooldridge wrote a weekly column which spread to other sports. He covered 10 Olympic Games
, including the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984. Writing before these games, he predicted a tragedy, but changed his mind after being there, saying they were amongst the best he had ever seen. His last Games were in Sydneyin 2000
, as well as Wimbledon
tennis championships, heavyweight
world title bouts, football World Cups
, Open and US Masters
golf championships and America's Cup
s for the paper. His America's Cup reporting opened the sport to a wide audience other than sailing enthusiasts. He was assisted by PR and friend David Redfern, of whom Wooldridge said " with his help, the eyes of Coronation Street as well as the Squadron are on the Cup" but in reality it was Ian's writing and interest that was the key.
He branched into other areas, writing on a revolution in Portugal
, flying with the RAF
's Red Arrows
, riding the Cresta Run
, sparring with Ugandan dictator Idi Amin
and running the bulls
at Pamplona. He was newspaper columnist of the year twice, sportswriter of the year five times and sports feature writer of the year four times.
Wooldridge's first job was on the New Milton Advertiser, covering the funeral of a coal merchant; he intercepted every mourner to write down his or her name - holding up the interment by more than half an hour.
According to his obituary in the Daily Telegraph, Wooldridge was sent to Alaska to cover the 1,100-mile dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, travelling with a photographer in a one-engine aircraft steered by an old bush pilot. "You slept where you could," Wooldridge later recalled. "In trappers' huts with bare wire bedsteads to sleep on, cooking up horsemeat over a fire... We stayed with Eskimo families, Indian families - there were no hotels."
Wooldridge ghosted a syndicated column for the golfer, Max Faulkner
. Once, needing a good anecdote about Faulkner's Open success, he invented a story about the golfer just before he had teed off in the final round: Faulkner, Wooldridge wrote, had scrawled "Open Champion 1949" on a ball which he handed to a young autograph hunter. Years later Wooldridge met the American writer George Plimpton
, who had come across the story. "Great tale," said Plimpton admiringly. "Total nonsense," Ian replied.
Wooldridge on Whiskey; In the Highest Tradition; The Great Fishing Race; Behind the Lines; Trouping the Colour; The British Challenge for the America's Cup 1983
His heyday was during the late 70's and early 80's. He also did a lot of voice overs, most memorably for the British Gas advert that involved a baby swimming under water.
at the Cambridge Union
in 1969 in speaking against sport with South Africa.
His opposition dated to his first cricket tour to South Africa. During the Port Elizabeth
Test
match, black South Africans were not only refused entry but beaten up by police. Because of problems with telephones, Wooldridge had to contact his London office from the committee room. Frank Keating
, in The Guardian, recalled: "He had written his piece; now he had to read it at the top of his voice in the presence of about 30 hard-faced members of the republic's ruling broederband... as all 30 pairs of ears listened in the chilly, unwelcoming atmosphere, he took a deep breath and dictated: 'The wretchedly awful face of apartheid was displayed here today when...'"
In May 2006, he won the London Press Club's Edgar Wallace award for outstanding reporting. The Press Club's chairman, Donald Trelford, described Wooldridge as "more than just a sports writer, he is a journalist of the highest calibre and a master of the written word".
Hugh McIlvanney
, in the Sunday Times, wrote that:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(14 January 1932 – 4 March 2007) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sports journalist
Sports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
. He was with the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
for nearly 50 years. He died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. His memorial service was at the Guards Chapel
Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks
The Royal Military Chapel, St. James Park, known as the Guards Chapel, is the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in London. Built in 1838, the chapel was bombed during the Blitz in 1940/1941....
, Wellington Barracks, London
Wellington Barracks, London
The Foot Guards Battalions on public duties in London are located in barracks conveniently close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the Palace very quickly in an emergency. In central London, a battalion is based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, about 300 yards from Buckingham...
on Wednesday 27 June 2007.
Biography
Born in New MiltonNew Milton
New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about 6 miles west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles east of Bournemouth town centre.-History:New Milton dates back...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, Wooldridge left Brockenhurst Grammar School
Brockenhurst College
Brockenhurst College, or colloquially known as Brock, is in the tertiary sector providing education in a wide range of courses for many different ages...
with two school certificate
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
s, for English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
.
After National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
and an apprenticeship on newspapers in New Milton
New Milton
New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about 6 miles west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles east of Bournemouth town centre.-History:New Milton dates back...
and Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, he became a reporter on the News Chronicle
News Chronicle
The News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
in 1956. After a spell with the Sunday Dispatch
Sunday Dispatch
The Sunday Dispatch was a British newspaper, published between 27 September 1801 and 1961. Until 1928, it was called the Weekly Dispatch.-History:...
, he moved to the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, which absorbed the News Chronicle in 1960
Early Fleet Street career
Initially a cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
correspondent at the Mail, from 1972 Wooldridge wrote a weekly column which spread to other sports. He covered 10 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, including the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984. Writing before these games, he predicted a tragedy, but changed his mind after being there, saying they were amongst the best he had ever seen. His last Games were in Sydneyin 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, as well as Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
tennis championships, heavyweight
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
world title bouts, football World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, Open and US Masters
The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...
golf championships and America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
s for the paper. His America's Cup reporting opened the sport to a wide audience other than sailing enthusiasts. He was assisted by PR and friend David Redfern, of whom Wooldridge said " with his help, the eyes of Coronation Street as well as the Squadron are on the Cup" but in reality it was Ian's writing and interest that was the key.
He branched into other areas, writing on a revolution in Portugal
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
, flying with the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
's Red Arrows
Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
, riding the Cresta Run
Cresta Run
The Cresta Run is a natural ice 1,212.5 m long skeleton racing toboggan track in the Swiss winter sports town of St. Moritz, and one of the few runs dedicated primarily to skeleton. It was built in 1884 near the hamlet of Cresta in the municipality of Celerina/Schlarigna by Major Bulpett, eventual...
, sparring with Ugandan dictator Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
and running the bulls
San Fermín
The festival of San Fermín in the city of Pamplona , is a deeply rooted celebration held annually from 12:00, 6 July, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic chupinazo, to midnight 14 July, with the singing of the Pobre de Mí...
at Pamplona. He was newspaper columnist of the year twice, sportswriter of the year five times and sports feature writer of the year four times.
Wooldridge's first job was on the New Milton Advertiser, covering the funeral of a coal merchant; he intercepted every mourner to write down his or her name - holding up the interment by more than half an hour.
According to his obituary in the Daily Telegraph, Wooldridge was sent to Alaska to cover the 1,100-mile dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, travelling with a photographer in a one-engine aircraft steered by an old bush pilot. "You slept where you could," Wooldridge later recalled. "In trappers' huts with bare wire bedsteads to sleep on, cooking up horsemeat over a fire... We stayed with Eskimo families, Indian families - there were no hotels."
Wooldridge ghosted a syndicated column for the golfer, Max Faulkner
Max Faulkner
Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner, OBE was an English professional golfer who won The Open Championship in 1951 and was renowned for his colourful dress sense....
. Once, needing a good anecdote about Faulkner's Open success, he invented a story about the golfer just before he had teed off in the final round: Faulkner, Wooldridge wrote, had scrawled "Open Champion 1949" on a ball which he handed to a young autograph hunter. Years later Wooldridge met the American writer George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
, who had come across the story. "Great tale," said Plimpton admiringly. "Total nonsense," Ian replied.
Television career
Ian made over 120 documentaries for various broadcasters including the BBC. Titles include:Wooldridge on Whiskey; In the Highest Tradition; The Great Fishing Race; Behind the Lines; Trouping the Colour; The British Challenge for the America's Cup 1983
His heyday was during the late 70's and early 80's. He also did a lot of voice overs, most memorably for the British Gas advert that involved a baby swimming under water.
Opposition to apartheid
Wooldridge was an anti-apartheid advocate, supporting sportswriter John ArlottJohn Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
at the Cambridge Union
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to as simply "the Cambridge Union" or "the Union," is a debating society in Cambridge, England and is the largest society at the University of Cambridge. Since its founding in 1815, the Union has developed a worldwide reputation as a noted symbol of...
in 1969 in speaking against sport with South Africa.
His opposition dated to his first cricket tour to South Africa. During the Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa...
Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
match, black South Africans were not only refused entry but beaten up by police. Because of problems with telephones, Wooldridge had to contact his London office from the committee room. Frank Keating
Frank Keating
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating is an American politician from Oklahoma. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999...
, in The Guardian, recalled: "He had written his piece; now he had to read it at the top of his voice in the presence of about 30 hard-faced members of the republic's ruling broederband... as all 30 pairs of ears listened in the chilly, unwelcoming atmosphere, he took a deep breath and dictated: 'The wretchedly awful face of apartheid was displayed here today when...'"
Awards
In the British Press Awards he was Columnist of the Year in 1975 and 1976; and Sportswriter of the Year in 1972, 1974, 1981 and 1989. The Sports Journalists' Association made him Sportswriter of the Year for 1986, 1987 and 1995; and it chose him as Sports Feature Writer of the Year in 1990 and 1996.In May 2006, he won the London Press Club's Edgar Wallace award for outstanding reporting. The Press Club's chairman, Donald Trelford, described Wooldridge as "more than just a sports writer, he is a journalist of the highest calibre and a master of the written word".
Hugh McIlvanney
Hugh McIlvanney
Hugh McIlvanney is an award-winning, Scottish sports writer. He currently holds a long-running column on the back page of The Sunday Times sports section.- Life and career :...
, in the Sunday Times, wrote that:
It is an honour to have worked in the same era as Ian Wooldridge, a precious privilege to have known him as a friend for more than 40 years. Though he would have snorted at the suggestion, he repeatedly pulled off the minor miracle of making our way of getting a living seem like a proper job for a grown-up person.
External links
- Appreciation of Wooldridge's career by the Sports Journalists' Association
- Report on Wooldridge's funeral
- Obituary from the BBC