Jerry Izenberg (born September 10, 1930) is a

sports journalist Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a par ...

with '' The Newark Star-Ledger'' in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. He was born in

. His career with ''The Star-Ledger'' began in 1951 while he was still a student at Rutgers University, Newark, but was interrupted for several years during which he served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Izenberg has covered many memorable sporting events and figures of the late twentieth century, including

Sonny Werblin David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin (March 17, 1910 – November 21, 1991) was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets and served as chairman of Madison Square Garden, and who built and ...

's ownership of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, the boxing career of

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

, and the

Loma Prieta earthquake On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. PST, the Loma Prieta earthquake occurred at the Central Coast of California. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately 10 mi (16 km) ...

which interrupted the

1989 World Series The 1989 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1989 season. The 86th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the ...

. In addition to many magazine articles and newspaper columns, he has also written 13 books, including ''Once There Were Giants: The Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing''. Izenberg has been the writer, narrator, or producer (sometimes all three) of 35 network television documentaries. One of those documentaries, ''A Man Called Lombardi'', earned an Emmy nomination. In 1997, Izenberg was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey, and in 2000 he won the Red Smith Award from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

Sports Editors. He was a 2000 inductee of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the

New Jersey Hall of Fame The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond. The Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by ...

. To commemorate 55 years in journalism, Izenberg wrote an eight-part memoir for ''The Star-Ledger'' in 2006. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Izenberg covered every

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

from

Super Bowl I The first AFL–NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super BowlI and referred to in contemporaneous reports, including the game's radio broadcast, as the Super Bowl) was an American football game played on January 15, 1967, at th ...

in 1967 through

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

. He declined to attend

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 NFL season, 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2019 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City ...

, bringing an end to his streak.

References

External links

ASPE article on Izenberg's Red Smith AwardJerry Izenberg
at ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

''
brief bio from New-York Historical Society website
at ''New-York Historical Society'' 1930 births Living people Rutgers University alumni 21st-century American Jews Jewish American sportswriters Sportswriters from New Jersey {{US-journalist-1930s-stub