118:(July 26, 1914 – December 13, 2000) was a New York-based author, journalist, ghost-writer, college boxing instructor (New York University, the University of Minnesota, and City College of New York), Florida state amateur boxing title holder, Navy Public Information Officer, public relations man, sports agent, boxing promoter, and restaurateur. He is best known as the author of "juvenile" sports biographies.
241:
newspaper and/or magazine articles as he could find about his subject, using the creamier quotes, making sure they included tales of how his subject was scouted, a quote or three in which our hero had his doubts, and as much rah-rah in the triumph as could be tolerated short of a need for Tums.... he books were hits and they did give a lot of kids an entree into reading by way of their game."
314:, claiming that Marciano had punched him during a dispute over Schoor's work as Marciano's ghost-writer. "I passed out," Schoor alleged in his court complaint; "Bells have been ringing in my head ever since and I had a fuzzy feeling for weeks." Although Marciano denied the claim, in April 1963 a New York court awarded Schoor $ 5000 damages (more than $ 30,000 in 2011 dollars).
298:; at 6 feet 8 3/4 inches and 240 pounds, he was said at the time to be "the biggest boxer to ever enter the ring." Beattie won his professional debut with a knockout only 24 seconds into the first round, and went on to win 41 fights. (He also appeared (billed as "Jim Beattie") in the Hollywood film
348:
According to Appel, "The last two years of his life were spent at a home for the aged in
Manhattan. His wife had died, he had no other family , and the nursing home costs depleted all of his remaining money. Kind people at the home tried to sell his remaining author copies of his own books to get him
293:
Without money, they did nothing. Three months later, however, "a wealthy New York construction man" offered to sponsor construction jobs at $ 158 a week (more than $ 1250 in 2017 dollars), which Schoor's group advertised as financial assistance to any suitable prospect "while he learns to be the next
261:
Later, while interviewing
President Kennedy, Schoor lamented the lack of opportunity given to American youth; Schoor claimed that the President replied, "We got millions of opportunities for kids. But they got to be shown, they got to be guided, they got to be helped. If you get the kids when they're
244:
According to Appel, one-time sports biographer Milton
Shapiro wrote Appel and claimed to have been a ghost-writer for Schoor: "Shapiro says he was actually the writer of the biographies of Leo Durocher, Joe DiMaggio and Pee Wee Reese. And when he asked Schoor for more money and a co-author credit on
289:
ran a long Sunday article about the subject, and "he phones never stopped ringing for a week.... There were letters, phone calls, wires from all over the country, from
Australia, Germany, every place. We were struggling to run a new restaurant, and we didn't know where the hell we'd get any kind of
236:
wrote, "Give the player’s year by year stats, throw in some good newspaper clips with some quotes about how the scout discovered him, create some locker room conversation between the star and his manager, sprinkle in some self-doubt after that .222 average in the first month of the rookie season,
728:
The full text of the letter reads: "Many thanks for sending the books you have written about outstanding athletes. Your thoughtfulness in recognizing our mutual interest is greatly appreciated." Kennedy signed the letter "Bob." Letter from U.S. Attorney
General Robert F. Kennedy to Gene Schoor,
269:
which began: "$ 10,000 A YEAR WHILE YOU LEARN. A newly formed syndicate of sportsmen and businessmen is anxious to sponsor the next heavyweight champion. This group of sportsmen will underwrite all expenses of the chosen candidates and will pay a salary of $ 10,000 a year for the full training
240:
Journalist Jeff
Kallman adds: "If you are my age, and you became a baseball fan early enough in childhood, you probably know the name Gene Schoor. He wrote a library's worth of sports biographies for children in the 1950s and early 1960s.... Schoor's technique ... involved mulcting as many
257:
In 1959, Schoor and three others (former boxers Bill
Nicholson, Sy Krieg, and Phil Krupin, whom Schoor met in Paris after they all served in World War Two) financed the New York City Second Avenue restaurant Johnny Johnston's Steakhouse.
178:
A prolific author of more than fifty books during five decades, Gene Schoor specialized in "juvenile" sports biographies but also wrote a variety of other work, including a successful pre-assassination biography of John F. Kennedy.
139:. He began boxing no later than April 1933, when he won a bout as a welterweight. While in college, he won the Florida state lightweight amateur boxing title (under the name "Eugene Schoor"). He also fought as a middleweight.
225:(June 1963), a book for adults which drew on extensive interviews with Kennedy intimates and letters from Kennedy to his family. (Schoor may have come to the attention of the Kennedys after sending
294:
world champion." Six men were hired for such jobs, while more than forty others were trained and promoted in professional bouts. The group's first major prospect (but at least fiftieth client) was
332:
had been appropriated, without payment or proper acknowledgment, from Schoor's research files (including extensive interview notes). Schoor was represented by "heavyweight lawyer" (the
265:
Inspired, Schoor's restaurant group formed Kid
Galahad Boxers to invest in and nurture the careers of young, unknown boxers. To attract talent, in January 1962 they bought an ad in the
541:
154:. He expanded into radio, producing "Champ of the Week," "Sports Club of the Air," and "Hour of Champions," and using radio to promote client-athletes including
946:
232:
After describing his childhood enthusiasm for Schoor's work—typical of his generation of school children—best-selling sports author and sports-PR executive
182:
A representative list of Schoor's "juvenile" non-fiction, once found on the shelves of elementary school libraries across the United States, would include
317:
In 1975 Schoor was engaged in a dispute over the sale of letters from a young John
Kennedy to his parents, which Schoor had used extensively in his work.
270:
period. If you are between 19 and 25 years of age—if you weigh upwards of 186 pounds—if you are at least 6 feet tall—then you qualify for an interview."
951:
295:
542:
http://www.legacy.com/ns/obitfinder/ssdi-search.aspx?Page=2&countryid=1&daterange=All&lastname=Schoor&stateid=0&entriesperpage=25
956:
229:
a number of his sports biographies; Kennedy thanked Schoor in a letter of March 1961, commenting on "our mutual interest" in sports.)
916:
732:
281:
later put it), his group "had little more than an idea, a restaurant and a shoeshine." Greatly exaggerating, Schoor told the
941:
926:
921:
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some spending cash, but he was suffering from mild dementia and lacked memory recall." Schoor died on
December 13, 2000.
237:
and bang, you had a 190-page book at $ 4.95 with a handful of some of the team’s best free publicity photos tucked in."
791:
628:
581:
767:
511:
The History of the World Series: The Complete Chronology of America's Greatest Sports Tradition, W. Morrow, 1990.
715:"Gene Schoor Young John Kennedy File," John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum website, available at
262:
young, why, hell, the kid walking down the street could be ... the next heavyweight champion of the world."
514:
100 Years of Alabama Football: A Century of Champions, Alabama Football, 1892–1992, Longstreet Press, 1991.
142:
After serving in the Navy in World War Two, Schoor began a PR business in New York. His clients included
716:
678:
499:
Yogi: A Fascinating Biography of One of Baseball's Most Illustrious Hall-of-Famers, Morrow, 1985.
321:
854:
136:
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299:
8:
132:
81:
31:
226:
798:(accessed May 2011). (The chronology of Schoor's books suggests that Shapiro meant
277:
phoned Schoor. "I started to ad-lib right there," Schoor recalled; at the time (as
520:
The Fightin' Texas Aggies: 100 Years of A & M Football, Taylor Pub. Co., 1994.
143:
824:
Information in the above paragraphs collected from: "Want Ad Brings in Boxers,"
788:
625:
578:
337:
311:
768:
http://www.sports-central.org/sports/2007/02/14/lew_burdette_rip_the_fauna.php
523:
The Illustrated History of Mickey Mantle, Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1996.
328:
for $ 20 million, claiming that material in the defendants' best-selling book
910:
795:
664:"e addresses himself primarily to young readers": from "About the Authors ,"
632:
585:
463:
Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio (by Robin Moore and Gene Schoor), Manor Books, 1977.
457:
LĂĽchow's German Festival Cookbook, Doubleday, 1976 (with wife, Fran Schoor) .
163:
47:
490:
A Pictorial History of the Dodgers: Brooklyn to Los Angeles, Scribner, 1984.
478:
Billy Martin: The Story of Baseball's Unpredictable Genius, Doubleday, 1980.
325:
167:
159:
155:
151:
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money. My partners said, 'Hey, what ... are we gonna do about all this?'"
832:, August 1, 1963, p. 31. "Runs, Hits and Ears" (column), by Warren Koon,
780:
352:
233:
147:
867:
840:, May 29, 1963, p. 10. "The Pride Of Kid Galahad, Inc." by Jack Olsen,
799:
466:
246:
373:
General Douglas MacArthur: A Pictorial Biography, Rudolph Field, 1951.
126:
472:
Babe Didrikson, the World's Greatest Woman Athlete, Doubleday, 1978.
717:
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKPP-004-141.aspx
836:, February 21, 1963, p. 1D. "Boxer's Pro Debut Ends in Seconds,"
484:
Dave Winfield: The 23 Million Dollar Man, Stein & Day, 1982.
442:
The Army-Navy Game: A Treasury of Football Classics, Dodd, 1967.
385:
The Story of Ty Cobb: Baseball's Greatest Player, Messner, 1952.
379:
The Jim Thorpe Story: America's Greatest Athlete, Messner, 1951.
828:, December 27, 1962. "Ring's Biggest Boxer on Saratoga Card,"
679:
http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=503068&cat=boxer
391:
Christy Mathewson: Baseball's Greatest Pitcher, Messner, 1953.
855:
http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=17686&cat=boxer
517:
100 Years of Texas Longhorn Football, Taylor Pub. Co., 1993.
451:
Football's Greatest Coach: Vince Lombardi, Doubleday, 1974.
433:
Bob Feller: Hall of Fame Strikeout Star, Doubleday, 1962 .
388:
Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Manager, Messner, 1953.
382:
Red Grange: Football's Greatest Halfback, Messner, 1952.
310:
In 1960, Schoor sued former heavyweight boxing champion
505:
One Hundred Years of Notre Dame Football, Morrow, 1987.
252:
706:, May 4, 1994, p. 6C (calling the book a best-seller).
487:
The Complete Dodgers Record Book, Facts on File, 1984.
353:
Partial list of books (written, co-written, or edited)
733:"Kennedy thanks Gene Schoor for a home run of a gift"
573:, December 27, 1962. "Gene Schoor," by Marty Appel,
481:
The Scooter: The Phil Rizzuto Story, Scribner, 1982.
285:he had "a syndicate and we've got $ 100,000." The
508:100 Years of Army-Navy Football, Henry Holt, 1989.
496:Complete Red Sox Record Book, Facts on File, 1985.
493:Complete Yankees Record Book, Facts on File, 1985.
454:Track and Field for Young Champions, McGraw, 1974.
127:Early life (amateur boxer, PR man, radio producer)
600:"Schoor Boxes Olsen to Draw in Amateur Feature,"
403:Joe DiMaggio: The Yankee Clipper, Messner, 1956 .
908:
651:"The Pride Of Kid Galahad, Inc." by Jack Olsen,
370:The Thrilling Story of Joe DiMaggio, Fell, 1950.
184:The Story of Ty Cobb: Baseball's Greatest Player
445:Courage Makes the Champion, Van Nostrand, 1967.
502:Seaver: A Biography, Contemporary Books, 1986.
436:A Treasury of Notre Dame Football, Funk, 1962.
192:Christy Mathewson: Baseball's Greatest Pitcher
879:"Ownership Issue Halts Sale of JFK Letters,"
789:http://www.appelpr.com/ARTICLES/A-Seymour.htm
730:
729:March 17, 1961. The letter may be viewed at
596:
594:
421:Roy Campanella: Man of Courage, Putnam, 1959.
412:Jackie Robinson: Baseball Hero, Putnam, 1958.
99:Sports and athletes; occasionally politicians
947:United States Navy personnel of World War II
626:http://www.appelpr.com/ARTICLES/A-schoor.htm
579:http://www.appelpr.com/ARTICLES/A-schoor.htm
552:
550:
409:The Jack Dempsey Story, Nicholas Kaye, 1956.
475:Joe DiMaggio: A Biography, Doubleday, 1980.
418:Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, Putnam, 1959.
415:Bob Turley: Fireball Pitcher, Putnam, 1959.
647:
645:
643:
641:
591:
427:Willy Mays: Modest Champion, Putnam, 1960.
365:Picture Story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
952:20th-century American non-fiction writers
766:"Lew Burdette, RIP," by Jeff Kallman, at
616:
614:
612:
610:
547:
460:The Story of Yogi Berra, Doubleday, 1976.
430:The Red Schoendienst Story, Putnam, 1961.
424:Lew Burdette of the Braves, Putnam, 1960.
406:The Pee Wee Reese Story, Messner, 1956 .
320:In 1994, Schoor sued Kennedy biographer
892:"Book Notes" (column), by Sarah Lyall,
638:
400:The Leo Durocher Story, Messner, 1955 .
221:Gene Schoor also wrote the best-seller
212:Bob Feller: Hall of Fame Strikeout Star
91:Primarily "juvenile" sports biographies
909:
607:
604:, April 27, 1935, Sports section p. 4.
394:The Ted Williams Story, Messner, 1954.
397:The Stan Musial Story, Messner, 1955.
57:Writer, boxing promoter, restaurateur
868:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3061821/
376:Sugar Ray Robinson, Greenburg, 1951.
253:Restaurant owner and boxing promoter
957:Sportswriters from New York (state)
448:Young Robert Kennedy, McGraw, 1969.
439:Young John Kennedy, Harcourt, 1963.
13:
249:, he was turned down and 'quit.'"
14:
968:
917:Writers from Passaic, New Jersey
540:Social Security Death Index, at
886:
873:
860:
847:
818:
805:
773:
760:
722:
709:
697:
620:"Gene Schoor," by Marty Appel,
469:: A Biography, Doubleday, 1977.
361:, Garden City Publishing, 1948.
896:, May 12, 1994, Arts section.
690:"Olson, Schoor Box Tomorrow,"
684:
671:
658:
563:
534:
196:Roy Campanella: Man of Courage
1:
787:, October 2001, available at
624:, January 2001, available at
577:, January 2001, available at
527:
305:
866:Internet Movie Database, at
811:"Want Ad Brings in Boxers,"
569:"Want Ad Brings in Boxers,"
208:Willie Mays: Modest Champion
204:Mickey Mantle of the Yankees
7:
556:"Rocky Loses Court Fight,"
10:
973:
942:United States Navy sailors
927:Writers from New York City
922:University of Miami alumni
853:BoxRec Boxing Records, at
677:BoxRec Boxing Records, at
302:as the eponymous boxer.)
273:Intrigued by the ad, the
173:
121:
103:
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37:
25:
18:
785:Sports Collectors Digest
740:Notables & Notorious
622:Sports Collectors Digest
575:Sports Collectors Digest
560:, April 24, 1963, p. 3C.
359:The Giant Book of Sports
343:
200:The Story of Yogi Berra
694:, May 30, 1935, p. 11.
188:The Ted Williams Story
900:, May 4, 1994, p. 6C.
898:The Telegraph-Herald
834:The News and Courier
779:"Harold Seymour," by
704:The Telegraph-Herald
216:The Stan Musial Story
137:Coral Gables, Florida
870:(accessed May 2011).
857:(accessed May 2011).
815:, December 27, 1962.
770:(accessed May 2011).
742:: 89, archived from
719:(accessed May 2011).
681:(accessed May 2011).
668:, November 15, 1964.
635:(accessed May 2011).
588:(accessed May 2011).
544:(accessed May 2011).
300:The Great White Hope
131:Schoor attended the
830:Schenectady Gazette
826:The Tuscaloosa News
813:The Tuscaloosa News
731:RRAuction Catalog,
571:The Tuscaloosa News
330:JFK: Reckless Youth
133:University of Miami
82:University of Miami
32:Passaic, New Jersey
883:, August 10, 1975.
844:, August 31, 1964.
842:Sports Illustrated
838:The Press-Courier
802:, not Bob Feller.)
655:, August 31, 1964.
653:Sports Illustrated
279:Sports Illustrated
223:Young John Kennedy
108:Young John Kennedy
48:New York, New York
227:Robert F. Kennedy
113:
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41:December 13, 2000
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296:James J. Beattie
116:Eugene R. Schoor
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144:Jayne Mansfield
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558:The Miami News
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338:Barry Slotnick
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322:Nigel Hamilton
312:Rocky Marciano
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267:New York Times
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45:(aged 86)
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164:Tommy Henrich
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104:Notable works
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29:July 26, 1914
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177:
168:Phil Rizzuto
160:Jack Dempsey
156:Joe DiMaggio
152:Bess Myerson
141:
130:
115:
114:
107:
43:(2000-12-13)
937:2000 deaths
932:1914 births
781:Marty Appel
234:Marty Appel
148:Cindy Adams
70:Nationality
20:Gene Schoor
911:Categories
800:Bob Turley
753:2011-05-04
692:Miami News
602:Miami News
528:References
467:Bart Starr
306:Litigation
247:Bob Feller
54:Occupation
792:Archived
629:Archived
582:Archived
336:phrase)
186:(1952),
73:American
62:Language
96:Subject
65:English
214:, and
174:Writer
122:Career
747:(PDF)
736:(PDF)
344:Death
287:Times
283:Times
275:Times
88:Genre
166:and
150:and
38:Died
26:Born
135:in
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