John McCallum (sports writer)


John Dennis McCallum was an American sportswriter and author.

Personal life

McCallum was born on 27 June 1924 in Tacoma, Washington to George A. and Mildred McCallum. He enrolled at Washington State University in 1942, but completed only one year before enlisting in the United States Army, serving from 1943 to 1945 in mountain infantry and tank destroyer units. Upon returning home, he resumed his studies and graduated in 1947. After a brief stint in professional baseball, playing for the Portland Beavers, McCallum moved to New York City, where he began his sportswriting career. In 1961, he married television and movie actress Marjie Millar having met her while writing a book about her but the marriage lasted only a few years. Millar later remarried. She died in 1966 at the age of 35.
McCallum died on 17 December 1988 from cardiac arrest at the age of 64. He had long suffered from diabetes and progressive heart disease.

Literary career

In the April 1945 issue of Washington State Alumni Powwow publication, McCallum is identified as a member of the WSC Class of 1946 and the publication's sports editor. In that issue, McCallum has a "Johnny McCallum" byline on a story headlined "Clips from the Sports Log." The November 1945 issue of Powwow lists him as sports editor, but does not include a class year. McCallum's student activities included being a member of the WSU Cougar varsity baseball team, coached by Buck Bailey. McCallum graduated from Washington State College in 1947.
After graduation, he worked on several newspapers, including the Tacoma News Tribune, Tacoma Times, The Oregonian and the Spokane Daily Chronicle. He moved to New York City in 1947 and eventually served as assistant sports editor of the Newspaper Enterprise Association from 1950-54. From 1954-58 he worked as director of the Premium Book Division of A.S. Barnes & Co.
As a sportswriter, McCallum wrote books on a variety of topics. One of his most famous works is The Tiger Wore Spikes, a biography of baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. The John D. McCallum Memorial Scholarship in Communication at Washington State University was established in his memory by his brother George "Pat" McCallum.

Works