Milton William Ryan Dunnell (December 24, 1905 – January 3, 2008) was a Canadian

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, known chiefly for his work at the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

''.

Early life

Dunnell was born in

St. Marys, Ontario St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...

, Canada on December 24, 1905 and attended St. Marys Collegiate Institute.

Career

After graduating he worked part-time for the post office and a sales representative for a fruit company. Dunnell became a full-time local correspondent for the Stratford Beacon Herald in 1929 and stayed as a sports editor until 1942. During his time in Stratford, Dunnell met his future wife Dorothy Theresa Pigeon and they married in the rectory, not a church, due to their mixed religions. Dunnell eventually became the sports editor for the

where he wrote on almost all sports during his career, including the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

and Grey Cup events, and the Kentucky Derby. During his sports reporting career, Dunnell placed his wallet in his righthand hip pocket, which caused him to be repeatedly pickpocketed. Despite urges to move his wallet, he refused, and fellow reporter Jim Coleman would walk paces behind him to ensure there were no thieves.

Awards

By the end of his career, he was awarded the

Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is an accolade presented annually to a print newspaper columnist or reporter in recognition of their achievements covering the game of ice hockey. The award is "to recognize distinguished members of the newspaper ...

and

Jack Graney Award The Jack Graney Award is presented by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to a member of the Canadian media for their contributions to the game of baseball in Canada. The award is not presented every year, but rather when the committee b ...

. He was also inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame,

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

Ontario Sports Hall of Fame The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is an association dedicated to honouring athletes and personalities with outstanding achievement in sports in Ontario, Canada. The hall of fame was established in 1994 by Bruce Prentice, following his 15-year tenure ...

, and

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, ...

. On June 10, 2006, the city of Toronto named a baseball diamond after Dunnell. Dunnell died on January 3, 2008, at the age of 102 at

North York General Hospital North York General Hospital (NYGH) is a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Primarily serving the North York district, as well as southern York Region, it offers acute care, ambulatory and long-term services at multiple sites. It is one ...

of pneumonia.

References

Canadian sportswriters Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Elmer Ferguson Award winners People from St. Mary's, Ontario Canadian centenarians Men centenarians 1905 births 2008 deaths Toronto Star people Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees {{Canada-journalist-stub