W. C. Heinz
Encyclopedia
W. C. Heinz; born Wilfred Charles Heinz, was an American
sportswriter. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York
.
in 1937, Heinz joined the staff of the New York Sun
. After serving as one of the newspaper's war correspondents in Europe
during the second world war
, Heinz returned to the United States and was awarded his own sports column called "The Sport Scene," which primarily covered boxing
, baseball
, football
and horse racing
.
One of his pieces from around this time - Death of a Racehorse - is famous for its brevity (fewer than 1000 words) and its brilliance. The story centres on a promising young two-year-old horse racing for the first time, and concludes with the horse's death less than two hours later after it broke down in its first race.
Written in double quick time on a manual typewriter as the events unfolded, Death of a Racehorse is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest sports articles ever written and is referred to as the "Gettysburg Address
" of sportswriting.
Heinz became a freelance writer after the Sun ceased publishing in 1950. He was a regular contributor to magazines such as SPORT magazine
, Life
, The Saturday Evening Post
, Esquire
, “True
", "Collier's", and Look
. The best of his magazine and newspaper pieces are published in his books "American Mirror" and "What A Time It Was: The Best of W.C. Heinz on Sports."
boxing championship. Ernest Hemingway
called the book "the only good novel I've ever read about a fighter, and an excellent novel in its own right." Heinz edited two boxing anthologies, "The Fireside Book of Boxing" and "The Book of Boxing" with Nathan Ward.
Heinz's additional books include Run to Daylight with football coach Vince Lombardi
, "The Surgeon", "Emergency," and "Once They Heard the Cheers," in which the author travels the country revisiting sports heroes of his past. In the late sixties Heinz collaborated with Dr. Richard Hooker to write the novel M*A*S*H using the pen name of Richard Hooker. The book was the precursor to the film MASH
which won the award for the best film of the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award for best screenplay based on another medium in 1971. The book also served as the prototype for the long running, Emmy Award winning television series.
A collection of Heinz's war writings including his dispatches from Europe and some post war articles were republished in his book, "When We Were One: Stories of World War II."
in 2004. In 2008 the Associated Press Sports Editors posthumously awarded him the Red Smith Award
for his contributions to sports journalism.
Heinz died in Bennington, Vermont, at age 93.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportswriter. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
.
Newspaper & magazine career
Following his graduation from Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in 1937, Heinz joined the staff of the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
. After serving as one of the newspaper's war correspondents in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during the second world war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Heinz returned to the United States and was awarded his own sports column called "The Sport Scene," which primarily covered boxing
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...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
One of his pieces from around this time - Death of a Racehorse - is famous for its brevity (fewer than 1000 words) and its brilliance. The story centres on a promising young two-year-old horse racing for the first time, and concludes with the horse's death less than two hours later after it broke down in its first race.
Written in double quick time on a manual typewriter as the events unfolded, Death of a Racehorse is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest sports articles ever written and is referred to as the "Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
" of sportswriting.
Heinz became a freelance writer after the Sun ceased publishing in 1950. He was a regular contributor to magazines such as SPORT magazine
Sport magazine
SPORT magazine was an American sports magazine. Launched in September 1946 by the New York-based publisher, Macfadden Publications, SPORT pioneered the generous use of color photography – it carried eight full colour plates in its first edition – and almost immediately became half-bible, half-guru...
, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, “True
True (magazine)
True, also known as True, The Man's Magazine, was published by Fawcett Publications from 1937 until 1974. Known as True, A Man's Magazine in the 1930s, it was labeled True, #1 Man's Magazine in the 1960s. Petersen Publishing took over with the January 1975, issue...
", "Collier's", and Look
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
. The best of his magazine and newspaper pieces are published in his books "American Mirror" and "What A Time It Was: The Best of W.C. Heinz on Sports."
Books
He published his first book in 1958, a novel called The Professional, the story of a young fighter pursuing the middleweightMiddleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
boxing championship. Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
called the book "the only good novel I've ever read about a fighter, and an excellent novel in its own right." Heinz edited two boxing anthologies, "The Fireside Book of Boxing" and "The Book of Boxing" with Nathan Ward.
Heinz's additional books include Run to Daylight with football coach Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
, "The Surgeon", "Emergency," and "Once They Heard the Cheers," in which the author travels the country revisiting sports heroes of his past. In the late sixties Heinz collaborated with Dr. Richard Hooker to write the novel M*A*S*H using the pen name of Richard Hooker. The book was the precursor to the film MASH
MASH (film)
MASH is a 1970 American satirical dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman and written by Ring Lardner, Jr., based on Richard Hooker's novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. It is the only feature film in the M*A*S*H franchise...
which won the award for the best film of the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award for best screenplay based on another medium in 1971. The book also served as the prototype for the long running, Emmy Award winning television series.
A collection of Heinz's war writings including his dispatches from Europe and some post war articles were republished in his book, "When We Were One: Stories of World War II."
Other
Heinz was a five-time winner of the E. P. Dutton Award for best magazine story of the year. He won the A. J. Leibling Award for outstanding boxing writing, and his work has been reprinted in more than 60 anthologies and textbooks. He was inducted into the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2001 and into the International Boxing Hall of FameInternational Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 2004. In 2008 the Associated Press Sports Editors posthumously awarded him the Red Smith Award
Red Smith Award
The Red Smith Award is awarded by the Associated Press Sports Editors for outstanding contributions to sports journalism. It has been awarded annually at the APSE convention since 1981...
for his contributions to sports journalism.
Heinz died in Bennington, Vermont, at age 93.