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George Spencer Vecsey ( ; Vecsey, George. "Trump Name Change Is the Least of It," GeorgeVecsey.com, Saturday, March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2025. born July 4, 1939) is an American non-fiction author and sports columnist for The New York Times. Vecsey is best known for his work in sports, but has co-written several autobiographies with non-sports figures. He is also the older brother of fellow sports journalist, columnist, and former NBATV and NBA on NBC color commentator Peter Vecsey.
Vecsey has written about such events as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics and on a wide variety of sports including tennis, football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, and boxing, but considers baseball, the sport he's covered since 1960, his favorite, Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game, amazon.com, accessed January 13, 2007. and has written more books about it than any other sport.
He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game and (with American country singer Loretta Lynn), which was made into an Academy Award–winning film. Vecsey has also served as a national and religion reporter for The New York Times, Columnist Biography: George Vecsey, accessed January 13, 2007 interviewing the Dalai Lama, former British prime minister Tony Blair, American Christian evangelist Billy Graham, and a host of other noteworthy figures.[4], amazon.com, accessed May 18, 2011
In addition to assisting Loretta Lynn, Vecsey has also helped several other celebrities and high-profile figures write their autobiographies, including American country singer Barbara Mandrell and Chinese human rights activist Harry Wu. His work in this field has ranged from co-writing credits, to being listed as a contributor (as in Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter), to being listed as a consultant.
Vecsey co-wrote Cy Young Award winner Bob Welch's 1991 autobiography, Five O'Clock Comes Early, chronicling Welch's rise to Major League Baseball stardom and his struggle against alcohol addiction.
Vecsey was one of 25 Newsday journalists who contributed to the Literary forgery Naked Came the Stranger. Woestendiek, John. "Naked comes the stranger, once again," The Baltimore Sun, Sunday, February 22, 2004. Retrieved December 15, 2019 He wrote the third chapter which was titled and about Morton Earbrow, the second character seduced by the protagonist. Bruns, Bill. "Naked truth about the great novel hoax," LIFE (magazine), August 22, 1969. Retrieved February 25, 2025. The Earbrow name was inspired by a Casey Stengel quote in which he said Gil Hodges was so strong that he could "squeeze your earbrows off." Vecsey, George. "Mike McGrady: Talented...and Generous," GeorgeVecsey.com, Thursday, May 17, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
His Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game (Modern Library, 2006) is a concise history of the game of professional baseball.
In 2011, ESPN published Stan Musial: An American Life, Vecsey's biography of twenty-time All-Star and St. Louis Cardinals icon Stan Musial. Reviewing the book, George Will wrote, "At long last, George Vecsey has taken Musial's measure in this delightful biography of a man and a baseball era." "Stan Musial: An American Life", Amazon.com, review of George Vecsey's "Stan Musial: An American Life" (ESPN: May 10, 2011), accessed May 18, 2011 Tim Kurkjian, Senior Writer for ESPN Magazine and analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter, said that the book was "a fascinating and profound look at the most underrated great player of all time, and one of the true gentlemen of the game."
He was the 2013 recipient of the National Soccer Hall of Fame's Colin Jose Media Award. His book Eight World Cups: My Journey through the Beauty and Dark Side of Soccer was published in May, 2014.
Vecsey received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in 1960. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Hofstra in 1990.
Unlike many other well-known sports columnists, Vecsey does not often appear on television.Gillette, Felix. George Solomon on ESPN, Redskins Fans and Petitions, cjrdaily.org, January 20, 2006, accessed March 25, 2007.
Vecsey lives in Port Washington, New York, with his wife, Marianne, an artist. Review: "Stan Musial: An American Life", amazon.com, accessed May 18, 2011.
External links
Categories: Georgevecsey.com Official Website, 1939 Births, 20th-century American Journalists, 20th-century American Male Writers, 21st-century American Journalists, 20th-century American Male Journalists, American People Of Hungarian Descent, Baseball Writers, Hofstra University Alumni, Living People, The New York Times Columnists, The New York Times Journalists, People From Port Washington, New York, Sportswriters From New York, Writers From Queens, New York, 21st-century American Male Writers, 21st-century American Male Journalists
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