Jerry Izenberg (born September 10, 1930) is a

sports journalist 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 ...

with '' The Newark Star-Ledger'' in Newark, New Jersey. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. His career with ''The Star-Ledger'' began in 1951 while he was still a student at

Rutgers University, Newark Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, but was interrupted for several years during which he served in the Korean War. Izenberg has covered many memorable sporting events and figures of the late twentieth century, including Sonny Werblin'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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, 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 activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, and the

Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...

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 Nat ...

. 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 shows, "A Man Called Lombardi," earned an Emmy nomination. In 1997, Izenberg was inducted into the

Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey The Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey was established in 1988 to honor athletes, teams, events and contributors associated with the state of New Jersey. There is currently no physical site or structure for the hall, but its members are honored wit ...

and in 2000 he won the Red Smith Award from the Associated Press 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 final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

from Super Bowl I 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, bringing an end to his streak.

References

External links

ASPE article on Izenberg's Red Smith AwardJerry Izenberg
at '' The Star-Ledger''
brief bio from New-York Historical Society website
at '' New-York Historical Society'' 1930 births Living people American sportswriters Red Smith Award recipients Rutgers University alumni Jewish American journalists 21st-century American Jews {{US-journalist-1930s-stub