JERRY IZENBERG

Once a sports reporter and later editor-in-chief of the Observer, Rutgers-Newark’s 
student newspaper, Jerry Izenberg has grown into one of the nation’s most respected 
syndicated daily sports columnists. From his beat at the Star-Ledger in Newark, 
Mr. Izenberg champions the cause of academic integrity in college sports and has 
constantly prodded and reminded administrators that the primary function of a university 
is education—not the exploitation of students for their athletic prowess. He has been 
named "New Jersey Sportswriter of the Year" on five different occasions and nominated 
for the Pulitzer Prize 15 times. A member of the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame, he 
is the author of nine books, including The Greatest Game Ever Played, No Medal for 
Trying, and How Many Miles to Camelot?, a book dealing with the social framework of 
America. Mr. Izenberg has been producer, director, writer, and narrator for more than 
30 television specials and won an Emmy for writing and directing "A Man Named Lombardi." 
One of the prime movers in establishing the Athletic Hall of Fame at Rutgers-Newark, 
Mr. Izenberg later became the first non-athlete to be elected as a member. Since the 
mid-1970s, he has been the guiding spirit of Project Pride, an all-volunteer athletic 
and academic foundation that serves as many as 10,000 Newark youngsters annually. As 
cofounder and president, he is equally at home pitching corporate contributions or 
showing youngsters how to pitch. Mr. Izenberg was inducted into the National 
Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in March 2000, joining 63 of the 
world’s leading sports journalists. In May 2000, he received the Red Smith Award—the 
highest honor given by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

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