J.G. Taylor Spink Award on Baseball Almanac

J.G. Taylor Spink Award

The J.G. Taylor Spink Award was first given in 1962 in an effort to recognize the baseball writer for his or her meritorious contributions to the field of baseball writing.

The recipients are selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America annually and voted on during the Winter Meetings. The winner is announced during the annual induction ceremonies at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and presented with a certificate then recognized on the "Scribes & Mikemen" exhibit in the Research Library. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present the winners of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

"Nothing on Earth is more depressing than an old baseball writer." - Ring Lardner (J.G. Taylor Spink Award Recipient in 1963)

J.G. Taylor Spink Award In Chronological Order
Year	Name(s)	Beat	1^st BBWAA Year
1962	J.G. Taylor Spink	St. Louis, Missouri	1912
1963	Ring Lardner	New York, New York	1910
1964	Hugh Fullerton	New York, New York	1908
1965	Charles Dryden	Chicago, Illinois	1909
1966	Grantland Rice	New York, New York	1912
1967	Damon Runyon	New York, New York	1911
1968	Harry G. Salsinger	Detroit, Michigan	1909
1969	Sid Mercer	New York, New York	1909
1970	Heywood C. Broun	New York, New York	1911
1971	Frank Graham	New York, New York	1915
1972	Dan Daniel	New York, New York	1913
	Fred Lieb	New York, New York	1911
	J. Roy Stockton	St. Louis, Missouri	1922
1973	Warren Brown	Chicago, Illinois	1922
	John Drebinger	New York, New York	1923
	John F. Kieran	New York, New York	1922
1974	John Carmichael	Chicago, Illinois	1932
1974	James Isaminger	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1908
1975	Tom Meany	New York, New York	1924
1975	Shirley Povich	Washington, D.C.	1925
1976	Harold Kaese	Boston, Massachusetts	1934
1976	Red Smith	New York, New York	1929
1977	Gordon Cobbledick	Cleveland, Ohio	1928
1977	Edgar Munzel	Chicago, Illinois	1929
1978	Tim Murnane	Boston, Massachusetts	1908
1978	Dick Young	New York, New York	1943
1979	Bob Broeg	St. Louis, Missouri	1942
1979	Tommy Holmes	Brooklyn, New York	1923
1980	Joe Reichler	New York, New York	1944
1980	Milton Richman	New York, New York	1946
1981	Allen Lewis	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1950
1981	Bob Addie	Washington, D.C.	1942
1982	Si Burick	Dayton, Ohio	1946
1983	Ken Smith	New York, New York	1927
1984	Joe McGuff	Kansas City, Missouri	1955
1985	Earl Lawson	Cincinnati, Ohio	1949
1986	Jack Lang	Brooklyn, New York	1946
1987	Jim Murray	Los Angeles, California	1961
1988	Bob Hunter	Los Angeles, California	1958
1988	Ray Kelly	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1946
1989	Jerome Holtzman	Chicago, Illinois	1957
1990	Phil Collier	San Diego, California	1962
1991	Ritter Collett	Dayton, Ohio	1947
1992	Leonard Koppett	New York, New York	1951
1992	Bus Saidt	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1967
1993	Wendell Smith	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1948
1994	No Award Given	n/a	n/a
1995	Joseph Durso	New York, New York	1964
1996	Charley Feeney	New York, New York	1946
1997	Sam Lacy	Washington, D.C.	1934
1998	Bob Stevens	San Francisco, California	1940
1999	Hal Lebovitz	Cleveland, Ohio	1946
2000	Ross Newhan	Los Angeles, California	1961
2001	Joe Falls	Detroit, Michigan	1945
2002	Hal McCoy	Dayton, Ohio	1961
2003	Murray Chass	New York, New York	1962
2004	Peter Gammons	Boston, Massachusetts	1979
2005	Tracy Ringolsby	Denver, Colorado	1976
2006	Rick Hummel	St. Louis, Missouri	1982
2007	Not Awarded *	See Fast Fact #3 (below)	--
2008	Larry Whiteside	Boston, Massachusetts	1969
2009	Nick Peters	San Francisco, California	1961
2010	Bill Madden	New York, New York	1978
2011	Bill Conlin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1961
2012	Bob Elliott	Montreal & Toronto, Canada	1978
2013	Not Yet Awarded	--	--
Year	Name(s)	Beat	1^st BBWAA Year
J.G. Taylor Spink Award

Si Burick was, "on the same job for fifty-four years without receiving a promotion" and in 1982 he became the first recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award from a non-Major League city.

Wendell Smith was the first black recipient of a J.G. Taylor Spink Award and he is credited with the writing of the first ever Jackie Robinson biography.

* In 2007 the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) changed the year designation for the Spink Award so it would coincide with the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Day ceremonies.

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