| Gordon Cobbledick | |
| Birth Date: | 31 December 1898 |
| Birth Place: | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Education: | Case School of Applied Science |
| Occupation: | Sports journalist |
| Known For: | Sports editor of The Plain Dealer |
| Family: | 2 Sons William Cobbledick, Dorn Cobbledick |
| Spouse: | Doris M. Mathews (1901-1981) |
| Awards: | J. G. Taylor Spink Award (1977) |
Gordon Russell Cobbledick[1] (December 31, 1898 – October 2, 1969) was an American sports journalist and author in Cleveland. He was the sports editor of The Plain Dealer for many years, and posthumously received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Cobbledick attended Case School of Applied Science, now known as Case Western Reserve University, where he studied mining engineering and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.[2] He played college football for Case Tech, graduating in 1922.[3] [4] Some of his more popular nicknames were "Cobb" and "Cobby." After graduating, he became a mining engineer in Morgantown, West Virginia.
While visiting a friend in Cleveland, Cobbledick had opportunity to join The Plain Dealer; he decided to quit his mining job, and started his writing career in 1923 at a salary of $25 per week. Initially covering the police beat, he later became a sports writer.[5] He also wrote for the short-lived Cleveland Times in 1926.[6] [7] He was elected president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) in October 1942,[8] and served in the role during 1943.[9]
Cobbledick served as a war correspondent during World War II, and his account of the Battle of Okinawa written on V-E Day has been frequently reprinted and cited as an example of excellent war reporting. In 1947, he became the sports editor of The Plain Dealer. His works were frequently published in The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, and Baseball Digest. Cobbledick's writing style was short and to the point.[10]
Cobbledick was journalist for The Plain Dealer until 1964 when he retired. He later moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he died in 1969, aged 70.
In 1977, Cobbledick was posthumously voted the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the BBWAA,.[11] He was also inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.[12] [13] [14]
From 1963 through 2002, the Cleveland chapter of the BBWAA voted annually for the "Gordon Cobbledick Golden Tomahawk Award", which was awarded to the most underrated player of the Cleveland Indians. Recipients included Gaylord Perry (1973), Rick Sutcliffe (1984), and Travis Fryman (2000).[15]